The Mew Experiment
by Kimmikala
Summary: BETTTER SUMMARY INSIDE,OC FIC.A girl with no memories suddenly finds herself hunted by a group of aliens hired for her capture by the government, her apparent creators.Can she relearn her forgotten powers as a mew in time and learn to accept herself?R&R!
1. Lost & Found

**STORY SUMMERY:** Wiping your slate clean is never easy. But for Sam, it was her only choice. Sam showed up out of the blue with no memories and no personality, scared and alone and broken. And as hard as it was finding herself in a world where she knows nothing and nobody, she suddenly finds herself facing the hard and impossible reality that she's the some sort of genetically engeneered mew, whatever that is. And suddenly she finds herself falling even further apart down by the hands of the group of aliens hired by the government for the purpose of her capture. Now, Sam has to relearn her forgotten powers as a mew, and fight for survival and for her right to live. But does Sam even really stand a chance?

I don't own TMM, but the characters in this story are mine. Please be nice and review my fic if you read it, so that I can improve my writing. And critisism is always welcome :) THANK YOU, please enjoy!

Note: This takes place two generations after Tokyo Mew Mew, and in America.

_*****Please take the time to review my chapters! I'd really appreciate the feedback! It would mean so much to me, you have no idea (even negative reviews)333*****_

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><p>Matt sighed as he trudged out of the house, nudging his dog along with him with his foot. It was late at night, and the only reason the boy was taking the dog out so late was because he had somehow forgotten to do it earlier. Even though this was the only chore the boy had, it was an annoying one and he was lucky when he remembered to actually take Momo out. The dog was still young and still had accidents now and then, and, whenever he did, Matt was blamed. And so, to avoid any trouble with his mom, Matt had no other choice but to take out the dog in the freezing cold of the night.<p>

Thad been walking for a while when all of a sudden, Momo stopped. Matt watched her sniff the air. "What is it? You wanna go home?" asked Matt, turning around. But just as he turned, the dog suddenly jumped towards the woods and disappeared into the trees.

Matt lived in a small ordinary town called Caperun in the middle of New Jersey. It was a quiet and under populated place, but was supposed to be a decent place to live. The boy lived in a small house surrounded by a dense area of trees that cut him and his mom off from the rest of the town. When they had moved there after his parents divorced, his mom insisted that they buy the house specifically because of the trees. When his mom wasn't working, she painted, and she argued that the trees would be perfect subjects for her pictures. And when Matt had tried to argue against buying the house because he felt that the trees cut them off from everybody, his mom insisted that they buy it because 'She needed to do something for herself for once, and since her ex-husband was finally out of the picture she had the opportunity to do so'. Matt had no say in the matter and before he knew it he was officially living in the old and quiet house that made him feel more secluded then he really was.

And that had always been Matt's problem. His family recently went through a difficult time, and during that time Matt had developed a lot of damn pride. It wasn't like his family's break up took a big toll on him or anything- he had been in 7th grade at the time, and 13 years old. He had been old enough to be able to find resolve within himself, and so he was okay. He wasn't about to fall apart over some stupid thing that was bound to happen anyway, something that he'd seen coming. But still, as much as he liked to convince himself otherwise, he'd still changed. He'd become a little mouthy, and stubborn and unreasonable when it came to dealing with others. It was like he stopped caring about other people so much. Even in Caperun, where they were supposed to start over, this little change in him prevented him from moving on. And he often got into trouble for that.

But that was back then, and things were better now. He met certain people, made certain friends, and things changed. He wasn't so bad anymore, and he'd been struggling to fix himself up again. He wasn't a bad kid, after all, and once he realized that he was doing some pretty stupid things he stopped. But now, Matt was beginning to feel that frustration that he always felt back then creep up on him in the spur of the moment. He blinked up at the trees, surprised and angry. He had never bothered use a leash with Momo before because the dog never showed any interest in running away. He looked back at the house to see if his mom was watching, and then jumped through the trees after the mutt.

The boy had been running so fast that he nearly passed his dog, who had stopped in a small clearing in the wood. It was standing by the wall of the old well that had been in the woods since before Matt and his mom had moved in the area, looking juat as dumb as ever. "What the hell?" he muttered to himself. "The old well?" Panting a little, he reached towards the dog. "What is it, you freaking mutt? Come here-"

But the dog suddenly disappeared, bounding behind the well and vanishing all over again. Out of frustration and exhaustion, Matt stumbled forward towards the well. Brushing his hand scross the coolness of the stones as he walked by, Matt squinted through the darkness in search for the dog. But it was dark, and he couldn't see a thing, esspecially since he was so far into the woods. He looked for anything, any movement, any glimmer from those obnoxious black beady eyes, but he saw nothing. But suddenly his foot kicked against something and he nearly tripped over.

Matt suddenly felt a little colder than before. The thing he had just kicked wasn't his dog. But it sure as hell wasn't just some rock ether. Looking down, the first thing he saw actually was his dog. But his dog was sitting beside somthing much larger than itself, a mass of unidentifiable black.

Matt was now. That _mass_... looked a lot like a body.


	2. Out of Sight, Out of Mind

**REVIEW**

Matt was frozen now. That _mass_... looked like a body.

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><p>Matt blinked a few times and his jaw dropped. He wasn't quite sure how long he stood there like that, staring at the body, but it must have been a while. Matt found himsef backing away from the figure soon enough and he had just turned around to run back home when something clicked in his head that he had to do <em>something<em>. The boy then slowly turned back towards the body and cautiously lowered himself to the ground. He lifted his hand towards the body, a little unsure of what to do, and then dropped it again. He swallowed hard, noticing that the body wasn't moving the slightest. Matt sucked in a deep breath and then quickly but gently grasped the shoulder of the body and rolled it over so that instead of lying on it's stomach, it was on it's back.

Matt gasped. It was a _girl._

He stared at the body for a long while in shock. And when he came to, he just continued to stare because he had no clue what to do. He then reached towards her again and felt for a pulse on her neck. He flinched at the touch of her cold skin, but surprisingly found one. Relieved that the girl wasn't dead, Matt inched closer to the body. He got a close look at her and found that the girl couldn't have been any older than himself. What _happened_to her?

The girl's dark hair was a tangled mess on her head. She had a grey tank top on, with a windbreaker over that, black pants and dark boots. She also had some sort of black choker on her neck, with a small, white stone slightly bulging out of the center of the black ribbon. Why her clothes so wierd? She almost looked like she just walked out of the military. And she didn't look American, judging from the look of her closed eyes. Maybe she was mixed? And this confused Matt. What the hell would a foreigner be doing in his woods? He wondered if she even spoke english. Matt inched closer to her face to get a good look at her, and found that and her face was scratched and dirty.

But that was just it; she only seemed to be dirty and a little scratched. She couldn't possibly be out cold because of just that. Maybe she was injured somewhere else on her body? Matt gentley tugged off her windbreaker and glided his finger down her right arm to make sure nothing was broken, and then did the same to the left. However, as his finger glided across the middle of her upper left arm, it rubbed over something dry and crinkley that was _definitly_not her skin. The boy frowned and squinted into the darkness, trying to see what it was. But then he did, and his stomach churned. There was dried blood all over her left arm, as well as on the ground and some splattered on her clothes.

Matt clapped his hand over his mouth and he suddenly felt sick, but he did not back away from the girl. He cauciously reached down to glide his finger over her leg to make sure nothing was wrong there, when suddenly, the girl opened her mouth and sucked in a breath of air, making Matt jump a little in surprise.

He stopped touching her after that and he backed away. He could be doing more harm then good by touching her. He'd have to wait until she came around. Maybe she could tell him where she was hurting.

Matt patted his pockets in search of his cell phone, and cursed, remembering that he had left it at home. _Of course_he wouldn't have it when he needed it the most.

However, the boy didn't have to wait long for the girl to wake up. In just a few moments the girl's eyes slowly fluttered open and she blinked for a while, trying to clear her vision. She grunted a little, and her mouth fell open slightly. She looked around and her gaze stopped at Matt. She looked up at him, confuzed and probably only half awake. "Who...? she lightly muttered after a minute. She seemed to struggle to speak. Her eyes flickered around, and then closed as she coughed. Then she was looking at Matt again, but she looked afraid. She looked afraid _of_ him. "_W-who...?_"

Suddenly her eyes went wide and she tried to push herself up, but she collapsed to the ground again and she immediatly grabbed on to her bad arm. She started to breath faster and tried to push herself up again with her good arm, but before she had the chance Matt suddenly leapt at her, grabbed her shoulders, and pushed her back to the ground. Immediatly she began to shout, "N-no-"

"I wont to hurt you! I'm trying to help!" shouted Matt. "Please, you're going to hurt yourself more! Your arm-"

The girl's hand flew up and grasped her bad arm, She then pulled her hand away and looked at it and gasped when she saw blood on it. Matt gasped and grabbed her hand and then looked back down at her arm. Her cut re-opened..!

The girl tried to throw Matt off of her again, but she was weak and practically had no stregnth. Matt let her hand go and once again pressed her shoulders to the ground with just enough force to stop her from getting up. "Stop-"

"I-I can't..!" the girl began. So spoke english after all. She had stopped struggling and she had her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Matt could make out tears forming at her lashes. "Who...!" She grabbed on to Matt's wrists and squeezed them as tightly as she could. Tears were streaming down her face.

Matt stared down her with wide eyes and with his mouth hanging open. "W-what? What are you trying to say!"

Her eyes were open again. "I-don't...! I don't..." But then her grip on him loosened and her hands fell to the ground. And Matt watched in horror as her eyes closed. She did not move after that, and the night was once again silent.

Matt stared down at her down at her for a moment trying to process what had just happened. He gently shook her shoulders. When she didn't respond, Matt let go and backed away. The girl was out cold again.

He stared at her body for a long while and then quietly cursed to himself. This was his fault, he must have worked her up to much. He watched the girl for another moment, debating whether to go and get his mom for help or to bring her home himself and save time. Deciding on the later, he carefully gathered her into his arms.

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><p>The girl stirred and turned her head to the side, moaning, and she jumped when the ice pack that had been placed on her forehead clapped to the ground. She blinked rapidly, trying to accustom her eyes to the bright room she was in. She brought a hand to her face and rubbed her eyes open tiredly, and she suddenly found herself staring up at a chestnut-haired boy and a raven-haired woman towering over her.<p>

"Oh thank God..." breathed the woman, grabbing her chest. "How do you feel, are you hurting anywhere?" The girl didn't respond. She looked down at her arm, which had been bandaged, and then stared back up at the two people. Nervously, the woman continued. "My name is Cynthia, Cynthia Kenny. And, here, you've already met my son, Matt."

Sam stared at them empyily for a few minutes, and then slowly pushed herself up a little to look around the house. Every part of her looked completely lost. "Where am I?" Her voice sounded very small.

"This is our house," said Matt, slowly and gently. The girl turned towards him, and for a long while held his eyes. "Where do you live?" Matt finally managed. Something about her was throwing him off. "We can take you home."

"I-" But the girl cut herself short, and her eyes suddenly looked very, very scared. Her mouth hung open, as if waiting for the right words to come out by themselves. But she could not give them an address. "I live..." ANd suddenly her eyes clickered back to to Matt and his Mom, and suddenly she was looking at them like they were _dangerous_. "I….. I don't know…" she murmered slowly, in confused disbelief. It seemed more like a question than a statement. She pressed her fists to her eyes. "I..."

"What do you mean?" asked Cynthia, leaning forward a little. "Honey, are you alright?"

They both watched her in horror as tiny dropletts of water suddenly began to fall from behind her fists. "I don't know..? I don't... I don't remember! I don't remember where I l-live, I don't remember a-anything! What am I doing here? W-what happened to me!" By the time she paused to breathe, there were definite tears gushing out of her dull blue eyes. Matt had never in his life seen such a look of fear in anyone's eyes before, like the girl's shown now. "_I don't know who I am!_"

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><p>In an instant Cynthia was in the kitchen dialing 911. Matt remained kneeling by the girl's side. The girl, however, had turned away from him and Matt couldn't see her face. The boy probably would have assumed she had fainted from shock if he couldn't see that her body trembling.<p>

Matt glanced back at his mom just as she began talking into the phone."Hello my name's Cynthia Kenny, it's an emergency... Yes, my son found a girl uncouncious by our house and s-she can't remember anything... Yes, nothing at all... I don't know how it happened... Yes, right by our house, in the woods... No, no, we don't know who she is, she just suddenly showed up... Yeah, she's got a serious injury on her arm... Yes, Yes, I live at..."

Matt had been watching his mom when he suddenly felt something latch on to his wrist. He turned around, and, to his surprise found the girl grabbing on to him. They locked eyes for a moment. "Tell her to stop", she breathed.

Her voice was so quiet and scratchy that Matt thought he misheard her. "What? I didn't-"

"Tell her to stop, tell her to stop," Her voice was still quiet and her words were flying out of her mouth fast. But Matt was sure he heard her correctly this time. "My mom?" he asked. Matt was holding back on to her hand now.

"Yes, yes, please... the doctor... it'll be bad, tell her to stop-"

"D-do you know what you're saying?" asked Matt, stunned. "You _need_help-"

"_They won't help me! Please-_"

Matt didn't know what was going through her mind, but the fear her eyes practically radiated was something that Matt couldn't stand to look at, but it was something he knew was _real_. This girl was genuinly afraid of _something_related to the doctor. The boy whipped around and yelled, "Mom, hang up the phone!"

The woman paused and watched Matt for a moment like he was insane. "_Excuse me?_"

Matt replied with a helpless expression and a weak shrug. "She... she's crying again... I think she's afraid of the hospital."

After a moment of staring at Matt and the girl, who had indeed begun to cry again, Cynthia pulled the phone back to her face. "I'm sorry... It seemes there was a misunderstanding... Yes, I'm sure, I'm so sorry... Theres an ambulance on the way already?" Cynthia paused and looked back at the girl, hoping she would change her mind. But when the girl only returned her gaze without saying anything, Cynthia said, "No, I'm sure. Please call them back... Please forgive me, thank you so much. Goodbye."

She walked over to Matt and the girl, with the phone still in hand, just in case. "What do you mean she doesn't want to go?" she asked Matt. But, realizing that the boy wasn't the one she should be asking the quetions to, she turned towards the girl. "Honey, what's the matter?"

The girl, still lying on her back, refused to make eye contact with the woman. Slowly, lightly said. "I don't understand it. But, I can't go. It will be bad if I go."

There was silence for a moment. What did she mean by it would be bad. "Then what do you want us to do?" quietly asked Cynthia.

"Nothing," the girl's reply was quick and sharp for once, she seemed very sure of her answer. "Nothing, I have to go."

At first Matt and Cynthia didn't understand what she was talking about, but when the girl began to push herself up and off of the couch it became clear to them.

"_Absolutly not!_" shrieked Cynthia, grabbing the girl by the shoulders and pushing her back down. "Are you crazy? You're hurt and confused and you _don't remember anything_and you expect me to let you just walk right out of here?"

The girl didn't respond. She only looked up at the woman with a hint of shock.

Cynthia backed up and pressed on her forehead. "I just don't understand how you'd rather go out on your own than get help."

"But I do..!"

"I honestly don't _care_." Cynthia stopped speaking instantly and fell silent. She sighed, glanced at Matt, who was quietly sitting by her side blankly watching the girl, and continued, "I don't mean to sound mean... but you need to be taken care of."

Cynthia looked at her son, and met his stare. They locked eye contact for a moment, and Matt gave her a small nod.

The woman sighed and turned back towards the girl. "We'll keep you. We'll take care of you, does that sound good? Until we find out who you are and where you live, stay with us."

The girl watched them for a moment, again like they were trying to do her in. She looked out the window, glanced back towards her arm, but all the while did not respond.

Matt met here helpless, blank gaze for a moment and immediatly understood what was going through her head. The girl was going to stay with them because she understood that she needed to, but not because she wanted to. Not at all.

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><p>It was late and Matt was half asleep by the time he had finally settled the girl down in the bedroom she was to stay in. The bedroom had always been used as a guest bedroom ever since his sister had moved out of it.<p>

The girl was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching Matt's every move. She hadn't said anything at all while Matt and his mom walked her around the house. The girl was wearing a massive tee-shirt and a pair of loose pijama pants that his mom lent to her until they'd get Sam some real clothes. Her old clothes had been thrown out. Except the girl refused to take off her choker. She again claimed she didn't know why, but she had to keep it on. Matt nor his mom didn't bother to ask why or pry about it.

The silence was hurting Matt's ears, and he was beginning to feel jumpy. And it didn't surprise him when he got the feeling like the girl was planning her escape. When Matt saw her look out of the window by her bed she looked like she was searching for an escape route.

Matt frowed, and knelt in front of her. "We'll be friends. I want to be," said Matt. He was choosing his words carefully and speaking them slowly, trying to get it through the girl's head that he and his mom were only trying to help. He didn't understand why the girl was so afraid to trust them. "And so it's good that you're going to stay with us."

The girl didn't respond, but Matt could faintly see the alertness and suspition in her eyes soften. Satifsied, Matt continued. "Do you remember what your name is?"

Sam's head tilted to the side a little, and she was quiet for a moment. And for a split second Matt was afraid that he'd offend her if she actually didn't remember. He was about to apologize, when the girl spoke.

"Sam," she said quietly. "I am Sam."

Matt grinned up at her, and stood up. He held out his hand to her, and after a hesitant moment she grabbed back on to it, unsure of what to do. The boy shook her tiny, limp hand. He was glad she remembered, maybe she'd be able to remember her past eventually after all. "Then, I'll see you in the morning, Sam." It was more of a question rather then a statement, and he hoped that Sam saw it that was.

"Yeah," she said back after a moment. She seemed to understand. "Yeah."


	3. The Hunter's Assignment

**REVIEW**

Matt grinned up at her, and stood up. He held out his hand to her, and after a hesitant moment she grabbed back on to it, unsure of what to do. The boy shook her tiny, limp hand. He was glad she remembered, maybe she'd be able to remember her past eventually after all. "Then, I'll see you in the morning, Sam." It was more of a question rather then a statement, and he hoped that Sam saw it that was.

"Yeah," she said back after a moment. She seemed to understand that he wanted her to stay, and the corner of her mouth actually curved up a little. "Yeah."

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><p>It was morning, and from under the covers of her bed Sam, delusional from a nigt of hardly getting any sleep, could hear the door creep open and someone quietly move towards the bed. She felt the bed shift as somebody got on top of it and, remembering that she was in a place that she didn't know and in a house with people she didn't know or trust, suddenly became tense and afraid all over again. Slowly and cautiously she dragged the sheets down off of her face, half expecting somebody standing there ready to kill her. Her eyes flickered out from under the blankets, and when she saw the two non-human black and beady eyes in her face watching her back with a crazed glint of excitement, she just about died on the spot.<p>

But suddenly a loud and desperate "_Mo_!" seemed to rumble through the house, and the eyes were sharply pulled back in the next instant. When Sam finally remembered to breathe again and looked up, she saw Matt standing there, looking embarassed and exasperated and angry at the little white dog that dangled from his hands like some sort of rag doll.

Looking at Sam with a kind of jittery expression, he said, "She woke you up, didn't she? Shit, I'm sorry!" Practically throwing the dog out of the doorway, Matt pushed his bangs from his face in a worn and upset manor. Looking back at Sam's startled face, and sighed. "I swear to god, that mutt is the creepiest animal I ever met. She knows how to push the doors open."

Walking over to her bedside again, he took a long look at the girl. She seemed to be calm now, except, of course, for the slight traces of surprise from that little encounter with Momo that still remained on her face. "Did you sleep okay?" he asked, looking concerend. Sam watched the boy for a few more moments and saw that he was wearing a white button-down shirt and dark blue pants. The outfit looked strange to Sam, and she could tell for some reason that it was not something Matt was wearing by choice.

"Yes," she said. But that was a lie. She had been up the entire night, but she wasn't going to say anything.

"That's good," he said. But his face was still concerned. "Listen, I came up to tell you that I have to go to school now. But my mom is going to stay here with you."

"Oh." Sam was surprised to find herself feeling a little uneasy, although her impassive composure remained the same. She would have preferred if Matt stayed with her, at least for today. But she wouldn't say anything.

Matt, who was starting to look a little awkward, continued to talk. "My mom's downstairs, waiting for you. She says she wants to get to know you."

Sam watched Matt with a new sort of expression, almost. It gave him the feeling that she was unable to comprehend why he and his mom were trying to help her, trying to be good to her. She looked confused, but almost at ease at the same time. "Okay," she finally said. It was her words that gave her away, however. She looked alright, but she was scared, actually. Her voice was trembling. It seemed it would take more effort to make the girl feel at home than Matt thought. What the hell were they going to have to do to stop her from pushing them away? Hell, what was it going to take to get her to say a complete sentence? "And so whenever your ready," Matt continued," just go down and see her. She wants to really meet you, you know? And she said that she wanted to finish settling you in."

Sam didn't speak for a beat. Her eyes flickered down, giving Matt the sense that she was embarassed. It was like the little bit that he was saying was somehow overwhelming for her. "Okay."

Matt inwardly sighed, wishing he would get more of a response out of her. But then again, he knew that he'd have to be patient with her. She was probably extremly confused with everything that had happened. Matt said goodbye one last time and headed for the door, feeling a little disapointed with himself. But just as he was at the door, he paused. "Oh, and one more thing," he said, turning back towards her. "My mom plans on enrolling you in my school. For now, until we find out where you're from."

The girl's eyes went wide, and remained that way while he one again said goodbye and as he left the room. Even though it wasn't quite the response he had wanted, it was a response, nontheless.

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><p>It was last period of the day, and Matt was sitting at his dest anxiously, staring at the clock. It had been a little hard to concentrate on anything today. He really wanted to get home and see how Sam was doing. She looked afraid when she left, and he wanted to be sure she was alright. He decided that if Sam was absolutly against going to his school, whatever the reason, Matt would try to convince his mom to just watch over her until everything came into place.<p>

Suddenly he felt something prob his elbow, and he looked down to see a tiny, folded piece of paper by his arm. He slowly reached for it and brought it to his lap before opening it. 'We're still on after school, right?' it read. Matt frowned, and looked to the right at Justin, the boy sitting next to him. Matt had completely forgotten that he and Justin had planned on Monday to hang out.

'Can't', Matt wrote back. 'I forgot have something to do'.

He passed the note to Justin, who looked up at Matt with a pathetically pissed expression. '_But it's friday'_, he mouthed.

Matt looked down at the tiny note again after a moment, ready to make up another excuse, when suddenly the school's speaker clicked on and the principle's voice was heard. "Attention, attention please," he said dryly. "Can Matthew Kenny please come to the office? Matthew Kenny, please report to the office."

Matt blinked up, surprised. The teacher, who had been at the front of the classroom at the chalkboard, turned around and looked Matt indifferently. "What did you do this time, kid? Go, ahead," he said, before turning back to the bored. The usual "Oooh," echoed from the students, as if Matt were in trouble.

Matt threw his things into his bag and swung it over his shoulder, irritated and confused, and was about to walk away when he caught Justin's annoyed expression. Matt muttered, "I'm sorry," to the boy, and briskly walked out of the room.

After walking down the hallway, wondering just what exactly he had done wrong this time, Matt cautiously opened the door to the office, and was surprised to find the princle smiling. He greeted Matt, and told him to take a seat infront of his desk.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble," said the principle, still smiling, and Matt loosened up a little. "I just want to talk to you about something."

Matt blinked at him, still a little confused. "Okay."

The man leaned on his desk. "Your mother called just a little while ago. She wanted to regester a girl to our school. Your mother said that due to a previous accident, however, you are to stay with her constantly." Matt tensed immediatly. He didn't think his mom was going to mention anything about Sam's mental state. Shouldn't they keep that a secret? "Would be willing to do that?" the principal continued. "She'll be placed into all of your classes, unless the curcumstances call for some adjustments. So if you could take care of her that would be great. Does this sound alright to you?"

Matt blinked again, and then nodded. "Yeah, of course. I wouldn't mind that at all."

The principle smiled. "Very good. It seems that her mentality might be a little unstable so it really does help me out a lot if you're always with her to help." He was giving Matt a strange smile that made him twitch.

"Uh, yeah," said Matt, twitching in his seat a little. He didn't like being in the office. He never did. It was so familiar. "Is that all?"

The principal seemed to want to talk about the girl more, but instead he said, "Okay, Matt. You're free to go."

Much quicker than neccessary, Matt grabbed his things and stood up from the seat. He shuffled towards the door, but just as he was about to grab the handle the principal said, "I'm proud of you Matt." The boy turned around only to see that smile again. "I really am. It almost makes me miss seeing you in here so much."

Matt's body stiffened for an instant and his face hardened, but cracked an awkward and forced smile for the man. "Really? Thanks, sir." But that was all Matt could stand, and he quickly slipped out the door, closing the door beind him befor the principal had the chance to say anything else.

Molding into the heavy flow of traffic that poured through the hallway as the kids rushed for the front doors of the school. The pace of the hallway was something Matt was used to and comfortable with, and so he took this chance to think things over.

Sam was coming to his school. That was a good thing. She'd be able to learn things, and maybe something in the school would trigger her memory. This was _really _good.

But people _would_ talk to her. That was bad. Not that he didn't want her to make friends or anything, or that making friends wouldn't be good for her, but what if they realized that she had forgotten her past? It wasn't exactly hard to figure out that something was wrong with her; you could read it off her face. This would probably cause problems and bring unnessary attention to Sam, and this was _very_bad. The last thing Sam needed was any more pressure than she already felt.

Matt was almost at the front doors now, but he was lost in his thoughts and hardly noticed.

And people would wonder why Sam was staying at his house. Matt had friends, and those friends knew him pretty well. They would know that Sam wasn't related to him. He talked about his family often enough for his friends to vaguely know his relatives. Should he tell everybody she was a foreign exchange student or something? Would that work? There was obviously some foreign blood in her, so that might work.

Matt opened the front doors absent mindedly, and stumbled blindly outside into the bright sun. It was cold out, but Matt hardly noticed the weather.

Maybe this whole thing was a bad idea. Maybe they should just keep the girl at home until she gets better. What if this was too overwhelming for Sam? The last thing she needed was another nervous brekadown-

But suddenly Matt foot caught on something and he went and he went soaring forward to the ground, toppling over the stairs at the school's entrance. The next instant he found himself on his stomach, lying on the hard cement. Pushing himself up and rubbing his hands over his face, which had broken his fall, she turned around only to see Justin standing on the top of the stairway, looking smug and amused.

"What was that for?" hissed Matt, pulling himself up. "You trying to kill me?"

"What?" asked Justin, hopping down the stairs, one by one. "You fell on your own, man. All I did was stand here."

If looks could kill, Justin would have dripped dead.

Justin suddenly gave Matt the most pathetic face ever. "You were trying to ditch me! Just the other day you said you didn't have anything planned."

"Something came up," stated Matt, starting down the sidewalk. "And I have to get home. Maybe we can hang out later this weekend."

"You know I'm busy then," said Justin, pickingup his face to match Matt. "We havn't hung out in a long time."

Matt sighed. "I'm sorry man, but it's important."

"_What's _important?"

Matt looked around. Maybe he should tell only Justin? Justin was one of those certain friends that Matt had that, even though they got into little quarrels like this, Matt loved him. Justin kept his head in place. He was his closest- no, one of the only good friends that Matt had. And Matt really did trust him. Justin had helped him a lot in the past. Maybe he could help now, too? "Alright, listen. Can you keep a secret?"

Justin cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah, 'course. What's going on?"

Matt was quiet for a second. Yeah, he could definitely trust Justin. "Come on, I'll show you."

Matt and Justin walked along the sidewalk by the woods, and then tuned into the trees and began to follow the brown-trailed path that led to the side of Matt's house. The boys rounded the house and, like usual, found the door left unlocked. They didn't bother to lock it most of the time because there was honestly nothing to worry about when it came to good old Caperun.

"Mom! Sam! I'm home!" called Matt, dropping his bag to thr ground. But no one answered.

Justin cocked an eyebrow. "Sam?"

The only respinse Matt gave him was a nod, and he trudged through the kitchen, into the living room, and then up the stairs, with Justin following impatiently.

Matt heard water from the shower running, and shuffling sounds coming from Sam's room. Matt frowned, walked to Sam's room, and poked his head through. "Sam..?"

The boy was surprised to see Sam standing by a relativly large pile of clothes on her bed, and Matt quickly recognized them as his sister's old clothes that she had left behing once she had moved away. His mom must have given them to her. Sam looked at Matt, but when she saw Justin she kind of froze. She did not say anything.

Matt looked at Sam and, hoping this wouldn't cause her any discomfort, Matt hesitantly said, "Hey Sam. How are you doing? This is my best friend. I'm going to tell him everything, but _only _him. I promise, I won't tell anyone else. He can help you too."

Surprisingly, Sam nodded, and Sam no longer looked afraid of Justin. Her sudden change of attitude was unexpected for Matt and through him off guard for a moment. But, thankful for her cooperation, Matt began to fill Justin in.

There was only one thought going through the girl's head. Matt was good. She didn't know him, but he was good. She somehow already believed that. And she truely believed that Matt and his friend were going to _help_. And, despite her strange impulse to keep them out, Sam decided to let them.

* * *

><p>From being shuffled around in a near-pitch black hallway by a large group of armed men, the boy was suddenly led into a surprisingly bright room, and the door was shut behind him with a bang. After looking around for a moment, the boy decided that the slamming of the door was the only thing intimidating about the situation, if that was even intimidating at all. The room he was in was not big, but it gave off the feeling that it was larger than it actually was. The walls of the room were a deep yellow and the floor was carpeted red, and there was nothing in the room except a large collection of books on some shelves to the boy's right, and a big working desk directly in front of him that took up most of the room. Before the boy had the chance to ask any questions, he found himself suddenly alone in the room, with nobody else except for a man standing directly across from him, leaning against the front of the desk. The man fit into the room perfectly; he was a middle-aged man wearing black, thick-rimmed glasses, he had a highly receded hairline (of which what was left consisted of light blonde tuffs of hair sticking out from the top of his head), and a wide grin on his face. Again, the room and the strange man seemed made for each other, but this room entirely was not something the boy had expected to find in this type of organization. But then again, he was dealing with humans, after all.<p>

"Ah," said the man, still smiling, "I've been expecting you!" The man patted a chair in front of him, and as the boy sat down in it, the man rounded his desk and fell down in his own chair. For a while he just stared at the boy, smiling. "Astonishing! I was surprised we were able to get in contact with you! Just the thought that I'm having a meeting with an actual _alien_is incomprehendable!"

The boy blinked, and, studdering over his words, said, "I guess you could say we were surprised, too. We didn't know that Earth had developed the technology to communicate with us. Hell, we didn't even know you knew we existed."

The boy had barely finished his sentence when the man exclaimed; "Oh! You speak English so well! Astonishing, absolutely astonishing!" He cleared his throat, and changed the topic to the boy's last comment in a flash. "But you see, most of us don't know you exist. Only the select members of BEC know. We prefer to keep anything that would cause some sort of commotion for the public away from them, and the discovery of life beyond earth would most certainly cause a commotion, to say the least."

The boy was unsure of how to react to this man. He did not seem afraid the slightest, which was what he had been expecting. He was not used to earning this kind of positive attitude from others, and he did not like nor did he understand how this man was so unafraid of him. "I suppose, Mr… "

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself! My name is Steven Bergs, head of FBI's top secret Biomechanical Experimentation Center, or the BEC. But please call me Mr. Bergs. I already know who you are, Mr. Ari Madigan." Then smiling, he stretched out his hand towards the boy, and Ari looked at it for a moment. Now, the boy had been taught that this gesture ether meant that Bergs wanted something from him or that he wanted to shake hands. Assuming it was the later, Ari grabbed his hand back.

"Astonishing!" Bergs exclaimed, firmly grasping onto Ari's hand. "It's just so mind blowing to meet such a sophisticated non-earth being! I mean, before this, the most we very expected to find was bacteria! And yet you're practically a human being! The only thing unusual about you is your extraordinary eye-color (What would you call that, amber? Golden?) and that size of your ears. And your ability of flight! It's absolutely astonishing!" Ari 's hand dropped from the man's, and he watched Bergs for a moment. The man was still smiling. This man's enthusiasm was starting to annoy the boy, and the fact that he had just compared Ari to a human being was belittling. And if that man said the word 'astonishing', one more time…

"Yes, um," started Ari, remembering his instructions to, no matter the circumstances, always keep his composure. He had to gain this human's trust. "What was it exactly that you _wanted_?"

"Ah, yes, I should get to the point of this, shouldn't I?" Bergs leaned forward onto his desk and clasped his hands together, and Ari began to get the feeling that this was going to be a long, painful explanation. "You see, around 20 years back, an FBI scouting team was called over to Tokyo to assist with rescue missions and reparations due to a mass earthquake that destroyed a good chunk of Tokyo. While looking for survivors, the team found the ruins of what had previously been a café, and they made their way through the rubble, looking for any survivors. They wound up in the basement and were surprised to find themselves surrounded by some of the most high-tech computers ever built. The café, Ari, had a highly advanced lab in the basement. Unfortunately, most of the equipment had been destroyed, but the team did recover a few files that they found lying under some of the rubble."

The man disappeared under his desk for a moment and popped up with a file in his hand, and Ari assumed this to be the file he was referring to. Bergs paused, looking up at Ari. "Are you familiar with _Tokyo Mew Mew_?"

"Of course," replied Ari flatly. There was not anybody on his planet who didn't know of the _elite_group of part human, part animal girls that got in the way of their fight for survival "Is that all that this is about?"

"Is that _all_? Dear boy, of course not! It's just that your knowledge about them makes this is 100% vital for what I'm about to offer you." The man dug through the file, moving it about carefully as if it were his joy and pride and hope, and took out a piece of paper, handing it to Ari. It was a picture- worn, but still decipherable. "This is a picture of the girls of the Tokyo Mew Mew team."

That was obvious to Ari the moment he laid eyes on it, but he was shocked. Was this some sort of joke? He had only heard stories about the girls from his grandfather before he passed away, and the girls were not at all the way he imagined them to be. The didn't look like anything special. In fact, they looked quite the opposite of intimidating. _These _were the girls who were able to match his planets best fighters?

Bergs took the picture back and placed it in the file again. "As you can imagine, Tokyo Mew Mew was well known throughout the entire earth, too, especially in their glory days. But then they disappeared decades ago, and no one ever heard from them again. Now, nobody knew who these girls were exactly or why. All that was known was what they _did_for us (well, we just know they saved us, we hardly knew what from). But the file that we found filled in all the holes for us. It told us who the girls were and why they had been selected to be members of the team, why and how they had received the abilities powers that they had, and just what exactly was going on. This is when we found out that your people were the one causing all the problems."

Ari did not react. He did not say anything, and he was hardly moving. He only continued to look attentive.

"But I'll get to the topic of why I specifically called you here in a moment," continued Bergs. "Anyway, after studying the file for a series of years and slaving hours on end over hundreds of experiments, we had finally done it. We finally created our own Mew."

Ari's jaw dropped. That was impossible! Was this some sort of joke?

"We intended to use her as a weapon for our country," said the man, completely serious. "And, you see, she was first created into a Mew as a little girl, and as she grew older she gradually began to teach herself how to use her abilities (because we could not)." The man paused, and his smile faded into a frown, and he seemed to be reflecting. "It was beautiful, to see our creation so successful, but it was hell to watch her go from being absolutely perfect to a monster. And I suppose it was all the more excruciating to know that I did not see this coming, when it should have been obvious. But this is what happened. She, as a Mew, escaped, killing 73 members of our facility while doing so. She escaped and killed _73 people_," the man repeated, emphasizing his point, "in a matter of 37 minutes."

The man once again dug around in his file and handed the boy another picture. It was of a young girl, this time. She had deep red hair and dark blue eyes, and she had the most lifeless expression on her face that Ari had ever seen. "This is the girl," said the man solemnly. "Keep the picture; it'll come in handy if you accept what I have to offer. Anyway, when we created her it was only natural to want her to be the strongest that she could possible become, so instead of combining her DNA with that of one animal, we combined her DNA with four-"

"_Four?_" asked Ari. "How is that even possible-"

"We did it, boy, so it is absolutely possible. And not only this, but with each animal DNA she was altered with, we gave her the ability over an element. With the DNA of the red kangaroo came the ability to control all fire around her, and the ability to jump to great heights. The DNA of the orca gave her power over water. The common tern bird DNA gave her the ability of flight and control over air, and the Red Panda DNA gave her the ability over earth. Look at the picture; do you see that collar around her neck? The stone on it is what activates her powers. Although she is the one who actually possesses the power, she cannot do a thing without that stone."

Ari, who had his arm thrown over the back of his chair, was nodding, still looking at the picture of the girl. Bergs, annoyed that Ari wasn't making eye contact with him, cleared his throat to get the boy's attention. "As I was saying…" said the man as he took his glasses off of his face, blew on them, and started to clean them on his shirt. "What really distressed us the most was that we had not even yet learned the full capabilities of her powers. And the fact that she is out there with the potential to cause all kinds of havoc, even more destruction then we yet know she is capable of, is _disturbing_, to say the least. And as we had learned before she escaped, we are no match for her, no matter how many weapons or men we throw at her. And, according to the file, your kind was quite a challenge for Tokyo Mew Mew, am I not correct?"

Ari stammered that the man was correct. He could already see where this all was going.

"And so we used the information in the files to build a machine strong enough to send out a signal all the way to your planet, calling for help. They send you here so I'm assuming you're the best person for the job."

Ari furrowed his eyebrows together. His people actually did not know that the signal they received was calling for help. The signal was so weak they originally detected it accidentally and they ignored it at first, but when the signal did not fade the figured out that it had been aimed for them. Ari's people really had no idea what it was for, and they decided in the end to send someone down to the source of the signal to see what was going on. And to top it off, Ari had insisted on going, he was not chosen. But Ari nodded and said that Bergs was correct anyway.

"We're asking- no, _begging_- that you go after the girl and bring her back to us. Since you know a lot about Tokyo Mew Mew, I assume that you're well equipped for the job, and you shouldn't have much trouble. And as a reward we'll give you half of the power that she contains. From what the file told us, you've been having difficulties with your planet, and so we figured that this would be a reasonable compromise. Your services for part of our power, what do you say?"

Actually, Ari's people had moved to a different planet after the whole ordeal with Tokyo Mew Mew. The mew aqua that they had brought back home after it all was not enough to sustain the planet, so moving was the only option. And in doing so, the mew aqua was lost. The planet they were presently living on was alright, but judging from how things were going, in time Ari's people would have to move again. Maybe this girl's power would prevent that?

He knew that he would probably find himself in trouble for not consulting the council back home about the matter, but that did not matter to him. "I'll do it," said Ari. "Do you want me to kill-"

"_No!_" roared the man, slamming his hands on his desk and standing up. The outburst was so sudden and so surprisingly loud that Ari actually jumped a little. "You may absolutely _not_ kill her. She needs to come here _alive_. If she dies, her power disappears completely. Understand?"

Ari looked back at the man and his eyes narrowed. Switching moods so drastically over a simple question like that was not normal. But then again, from the looks of it this man didn't get out much. Maybe he was a little crazy.

"I will personally do away with the girl myself once we extract what we need from her," said the man, calm again. "But as soon as I'm through with her, I will come through with my part of the deal. But that's beside the point. Once she dies, all her energy vavishes. We have to get the energy from her before she is taken care of." The man paused and slipped his glasses back onto his face. "We don't know exactly where the girl is, but we're positive she is somewhere on the eastern coast. And please, try not to anger her too much. You see, whenever something greatly angered her, well, her eyes… Let's just say that I suppose there's a glitch in her system due to the constant mutation of her DNA. I can't really explain it, but my advice is to just do the job quickly. And don't underestimate her. We did, so don't make the same mistake."

"Does she have a name?" asked Ari. "Something I can call her by?"

The man paused, looking up. "No, she doesn't. This shouldn't be a problem, though. Just look around for a girl with that collar on her neck. I know that your kind excells in the tracking and hunting areas, so this job shouldnt be entirely difficult for you."

The boy remained quiet for a moment, just watching the man. He tucked the picture of the girl into his pocket. "Alright," said Ari, giving Bergs a strange, sinister grin that the man did not expect to see. "I'll do it quick."


	4. The Challenge

**REVIEW**

The boy remained quiet for a moment, just watching the man. He tucked the picture of the girl into his pocket. "Alright," said Ari, giving Bergs a strange, sinister grin that the man did not expect to see. "I'll do it quick."

* * *

><p>"I don't want to."<p>

"I know," Matt sighed, slipping his tie around his neck and tying it into place.

"And I'm scared."

"I know." The boy was reaching for his backpack now, and he threw it over his shoulder. He then bent down again and picked up the new backpack that his mom had just bought for Sam, and handed it to her.

Tightly holding the backpack in her hands, Sam pressed her lips together and watched the front door carefully as Matt opened it and stepped outside. "And I'm going to be sick."

It was Monday, only a little more than a week since Matt's mom had called the school asking to enroll Sam. While the girl had remained obedient to his mom, she had not been hesitant to express her discomfort with the situation to Matt. "You're nervous," said Matt, beckoning to her. "Everyone feels like that their first day of school." Once Sam finally decided to leave the doorway and when she was by Matt's side he continued. "Don't be. I'll be with you all the time."

Matt rounded the house, with Sam following close behind. He crossed the yard and stepped through the trees, following the pathway that would take him to school. In a moment Sam was silently walking next to him.

Now, Matt was still having trouble figuring Sam out. She acted refined towards his mom, never once expressing anything against her, but she stubbornly kept her distance from the woman. And, although it really bothered Matt, she treated him the same. _Most_of the time. Like now, for example. She seemed to be strangely comfortable as far as Matt could tell, and she was walking so close to Matt that her shoulder was nearly brushing against him.

Once Matt became more aware of what was going on around him, he noticed how deathly silent it was. It was awkward, but he didn't really know how to ease the tension. It had been a week and still Matt hardly knew anything about the girl other than her name. It was hard to start a conversation.

The boy had been watching the girl from the corner of his eye, trying to decide what to say to her, when she suddenly stopped walking and fell from Matt's sight. Confused, he turned around to find her staring directly upward at the tree branches above her head. After a moment hesitation, Matt was about to ask what was going on when he heard something quickly move through the branches above them. Startled by the surprisingly loud movements it was making as it moved through the tree, Matt looked upward. He couldn't see whatever it was directly, but he could tell from the shadow that it cast through the leaves that it was alarmingly big and, unless Matt's imagination was leading him to hallucinate, whatever the boy was seeing was _bigger_than him. But in an instant the animal- some sort of bird, maybe- rose from the trees and its shadow disappeared, and the wood was once again silent.

When Matt looked back at Sam, she was already looking back at him. She looked scared, and she shuffled towards the boy and stopped by his side. This time, however, her shoulder was touching his arm. After a moment of watching the girl, who did not say anything to Matt as if he wasn't there, Matt put his arm around her and gently rested his hand on her shoulder, in an effort to comfort her. And although she immediatly stiffened against his touch, she didn't shrug him off. "Sam… It was only a bird… Why are you…?"

She shook her head. "I know. It's nothing," she said quietly, still avoiding his gaze. Her expression was once again annoyingly apathetic.

Sam would not say this to him, out of fear that he would turn away from her, but that _thing _was not a bird. She didn't know why she didn't think it was a bird when this seemed like the most obvious explanation, but something inside of her told her it wasn't. Something inside of her was also telling her to run, because that thing would be back. She had the most sickening feeling that that thing was bad, and that the thing was watching her.

* * *

><p>It was Friday, already 5 days since Sam started school, and she was not getting the hang of it at all. She didn't like how crowded it was and she had absolutely no clue what she was doing in her classes. And this whole friend buisness was still a mystery to the girl. Even though Justin seemed to be friendly with just about anybody and was introducing Sam to practically everyone she passed, she couldn't bring herself to have a normal conversation with anybody. She had nothing to talk about, and it was quite clear that there was a solid but unspoken boundry that seperated her from the other kids. She couldn't relate to any of those kids at all, and it didn't look like she was having any luck getting around that. And while Justin introduced her to people, Matt would quietly point out who was who and what was what, introduce her to his own friends and encourage her to talk to people, and guide her in a much more subtle way than Justin. She much preferred Matt's help over Justin's, just because she didn't particularly like the attention that Justin managed to attract. And, although she was all around uncomfortable, she was thankful, that was for sure.<p>

Thanks to Matt, Sam did meet this one girl named Robin who Sam had decided that she particularly liked. Robin was in Sam's history class; she was nice and the quietness that Sam brought about didn't seem to bother her much, which was a trait that Sam had needed to find in someone more than anything else.

At the moment, actually, Sam was leaving Robin's house. Robin had offered to be Sam's partner for a project that the class was assigned and even before Sam had the chance to answer, Matt answered for her and told Robin that Sam would love to. The girls had decided to work on it after school and since Robin's house was relatively close to Matt's, Sam had decided to walk home. Even though Matt had offered to walk to Robin's house and take her back home when it was time, Sam insisted on doing it alone. Something like this was not worth bothering Matt over, after all. The boy had done more than enough as it was. Plus she just wanted to be alone.

Sam was walking down the side walk carefully, remembering the landmarks that she had chosen earlier that would lead her back to Matt's house, and before she knew it she was almost at the entrance to the wood path. She hadn't particularly worried about getting lost because she had quickly been able to figure out about herself that she had a strangely good sense of direction.

However, as soon as she stepped through the trees, she froze. It was… There was _that feeling_again. It was the same feeling she felt when she saw that bird creature- no, it was the feeling she got before she even knew it was there, and the same feeling that vanished once the so-called bird had left.

Sam looked behind her, back through the trees to the rest of the town, but nobody was there. And in an instant she was sprinting down the path. For some crazy reason she suddenly believed with her all that once she got to Matt the feeling would disappear. And so the quicker she got back to Matt, the better.

But what did that feeling _mean_? And why? How? These were the sole questions racing through her head at the moment. Did it mean that the bird was close again? What else could it possible mean when the bird was the only thing that had caused the feeling before? She kept repeating these questions to herself silently, over and over again, as if they would come to answer themselves.

And soon Sam could see the end of the trail. She could see the house through the trees, and a flood of relief washed over her. Just a little more, just a little more and she'd-

"Hello."

The girl, just at the end of the path, froze in her tracks. She stood there silently for a moment, petrified, finding it difficult to process what she just heard. Slowly, carefully, she turned around, as if expecting the source of the voice to be gone by the time she had turned around. As if she had expected the voice to be nothing more but a hoax in her delusional mind. But there was undeniably a boy there, standing a few yards away from her on the trail, smiling. In an instant Sam knew that this boy was the so-called bird. And she instantly knew that she was in danger. The same terrible feeling was now chillingly throbbing in her veins, as if saying, 'I warned you'.

For a long while the girl just stared at the boy. It was painfully clear to her that the boy was not normal, and it was painfully clear that he was dangerous. His ears looked like that of an elf, and his eyes were a stabbing yellow. And yet this somehow did not scare Sam anymore than she already was, almost as if his physical abnormalities didn't shock her more than his voice itself. And, after a moment, Sam shakily managed to breathe, "Hello."

The boy began to approach her and with each step he took the feeling throbbed inside of her stronger and stronger to the point she thought her body was visibly shaking. But Sam held her ground. She knew she should have been running away, but her legs refused to move. And even if she _could_move, she somehow knew that he'd stop her. Why did this situation feel so familiar? He was standing right in front of her, now, smiling. "My name is Ari." He held his hand out to her, as Matt had done when she first met him. "It's good to finally meet you."

Sam watched him carefully, and after a long moment of hesitation she outstretched her hand towards his, but she found she didn't quite have the courage to touch it. The boy then firmly took her hand in his, swallowing it up completely in his wide grasp, and shook it, just as Matt had done when she first met him. But the touch set that terrifying pulse within her on fire and she quickly let go and fell back in confused exasperation, suddenly feeling breathless. Staring at the strange boy's face from close up, she could now see that his pupils were like that of a cat's, and… was that a fang she saw in his grin? And he used the words 'good to finally meet you'? Who _was_this guy?

Her threat laughed. "This is weird! I was expecting you to at least show me a little hostility!"

Sam faltered. "W-why would I act that way towards you when I don't even know you?" she asked lightly, trying her best to hide her fear. She somehow knew very well that she was in danger now, even though the boy did not seem to be violent. And, despite the strong urge to run away to the house, she knew that she should refrain from making any rash decisions, and running away from this boy seemed very, very rash.

"It's your nature," he stated. The simpleness and casualness of his tone made the situation feel all the more unreal. "Isn't it?"

Sam didn't quite know how to react. Her nature? What did this boy know anything about her nature? Did she maybe know this boy before she lost her memories? Suddenly hot on the consideration, she asked, "_Do_I know you?"

"No," he replied easily, as if their meeting was the most normal thing in the world.

Sam was quiet as her hopes to getting a clue as to who she used to be shattered. But as her hopes fell, her uneasiness returned. "Do you need something?"

"Yes," returned the boy, smiling. There was a sudden flicker of interest in his eyes that caught Sam off guard. "But I'm sure I don't have to explain myself."

"Sorry," stuttered Sam, holding her hands up defensivly. She forced a slight twitch of a smile on her face to make it seem as though she didn't have anything to fear. "I really don't understand. You must have the wrong person."

He was still smiling, but his eyebrows were raised. "No? Ah, don't play dumb with me. I know everything about you and there's no use trying to hide it. I can see right through you."

Sam was blinking at him, and her shoulders were raised lightly. Her smile had washed off her face in an instant, comp;etely exposing the fear that was starting to creep through her. "You have the wrong girl." she repeated. The strange throbbing in her body was pulsing so hard that she could have sworn she heard it ringing in her ears.

Slowly, easily, smoothly, the boy started a slow pace around the trembling girl, sizing her up, and stopped himself so that he was inbetween the house and her. His smile was now gone, which somehow terrified Sam even more than the fact that he was blocking her from her destination. Lifting a long and lean arm, obviously worked well and strong, he flicked the stone on Sam's neck, earning a tiny click from the contact and a slight jump from the girl. "Oh, really? Then I suppose you know the true owner of this rock you're wearing?"

"It's mine," Sam said, stuttering again. She took a small step back to get some space between. Once again giving him a fake smile, she said, "It was nice meeting you Ari, it really was, but I really should go home now-"

"You're not going anywhere," he said in all-seriousness. The girl, mouth hanging open, no longer needed the strange feeling to tell her that she was in danger. The boy's fierce eyes were a now strong enough indication. "I don't like games. And I don't like to be taken like some idiot. Pulling this crap with me is only going to piss me off."

Sam was staring at him, eyes wide and jaw dropped. "What do you know about who I am when I don't even know you?" Her words were quick and weak amd her confusment was prominent on her face. "Please just let me go home! I'm not who you think I am!"

And suddenly, much quicker than her eyes could register, he had a firm hold on her upper arm. Pulling her forward with a sharpness that Sam didn't even think was possible, she suddenly found herself directly in front of him. "I'll kill you right now." The girl's knees nearly gave out from under her at the sound of those serious words. "If I say this, are you going to keep up this stupid act and not defend yourself?"

"Do you even know what you're saying?" Sam shrieked, trying to pull away from him. But to her complete horror she realized that, just like his looks, his strength was not human. He didn't even flinch while she was struggling with her all. Stuttering, she choked, "I'll scream! If you don't let go of me I'll scream!" She watched his strangly indifferent eyes as she desperatly dug around her head for something to say that would scare him off. "The police will-"

And suddenly Ari was hysterically laughing, and his hand fell from her arm. In panic, Sam spun around in an attempt to get away from him and to get help from someone in the town, but Ari was suddenly in front of her again. But before she even precessed that he was there, she crashed into him and tumbled backwards onto the ground.

The girl was lying on her back, staring upward in shock. _Impossible!_She had turned around and away from him, hadn't she? He was behind her one moment and in front of her the next! How did he…! How did he get in front of her again?

The girl heard Ari crouch down beside her. She, however, continued to stare to the sky with a look of complete disbelief on her face. "Don't you know…" he said, calmly, gently, "that the _police_, the very ones that you were just about to run to for protection, were the very ones that sent me to catch you?"

Sam's face was a statue. She did not say anything.

Ari's had his elbow on his knee, and his chin was on his hand. "I have to give you credit, though," he said, scanning the quivering girl in front of him again. A tiny little grin of interest resurfaced on his face. "You're a good actor. It's almost like you honestly forgot."

At the word 'forgot', Sam snapped. In spite of herself, and even though she knew that this was probably the stupidest mistake she could make in front of this guy, her vision blurred and she felt water begin to collect in her eyes.

Ari, surprised at her tears, was taken aback. This was _not_ the monstrous, dangerous, out-of-control girl that the FBI had described to him. How could the girl that Bergs man described to him and this crying girl in front of him be the same person? He was quiet for a moment. "Unless…" he said. He was speaking slowly and quietly, taking her strange behavior into careful consideration. "Unless you somehow _did_forget..?"

Sam was grabbing at her face as if by doing this she'd be able to hide. And she was nodding. She knew with every fiber of her being that telling this guy that she had lost her memories was the absolute worst possible thing she could do. It seemed like telling him put her in a state of absolute vulnerability and helplessness. But at the same time, even if it was dangerous, if it really was she that the boy was looking for, maybe he could tell her what she had forgotten. And she wanted more than anything to know.

"I don't believe it…!" said the boy as his hand came down fast on his forehead. A look of pure amusement washed over his face. "And here I was expecting a challenge! I'll admit it, I'm pretty disappointed! How did it happen?"

Sam was watching him angrily now- this boy that wasn't human- and those stupid tears continued to fall across her face against her will. "Is that some sort of joke? As if I would know," she hissed. "I suddenly woke up here and I dont remember anything before that." She paused for a moment, her eyes locked with Ari's. "Do you really think," she breathed, "that you have the right person?"

Ari watched her skeptically for a moment. Once again, he reached down a hand to touch her stone. And the familiar strange burning throb that his touch gave the girl made her cringe. "Your collar there is proof, kid."

He slowly moved that strong arm of his downward, grazing the skin of her neck with the slightest touch. His hand fell onto the collar of the girl's shirt and he suddenly took strong hold of the fabric. With a firm tug, he pulled the girl off the ground so that she was in his face. "I'm going to need you to come with me."

She watched him now with apathetic eyes. There was no longer any trace of fear on her face except for the tears that had leaked down her cheeks. Somehow, she had suddenly become numb to intimidation. It was strange; the hopelessness she was now feeling felt strangly familiar. It felt so familiar that the feeling could have very well been common once, during a time in her life she'd forgotten. She was not shocked by his request, because she had the most horrific feeling that he was going to say that at one point or another. "So that's it?" she asked, her voice dull. "You're just going to kill me now?"

"No, that's not my job," said Ari. He held out his free hand, and suddenly there was a dagger-like blade in his palm that literally appeared out of nowhere. It was about a foot long, around 5 inches wide, and the thought of the thing piercing her drained all the color out of his face. "You're not going to die just yet. I'm not allowed to harm you until the FBI and the BEC get their meaty hands on you." His smile was alarmingly calm, but the girl felt too heavy to react to even that. "But I don't plan on doing this that easily."

Sam's hands found their way to the hand that had hold of her shirt. "You expect me to just let you do whatever you want to me?" She had a strange expression on that didn't seem to belong to herself.

Ari grinned and his eyes were calm. "Yes, mainly because," he held his blade out in front of him, against her throat, "you won't be able to put up a fight against me since it seems you've forgotten who you are. Be a good girl and try to keep quiet, alright? I don't want to cause a scene." The blade pressed against the flesh of her neck, drawing the first few beads of blood. "Say good bye to this place."

Something inside Sam clicked at those words and her dulled eyes sparked suddenly. And, surprising Ari, her hands flew from his own and she shoved her way from his grasp, tumbling backwards onto the ground. Ari watched the girl as she grabbed onto the trunk of a tree to hoist herself up. The emptiness in her eyes was suddenly filled with something that looked almost like anger, but not quite. "I can't do that," she breathed, completely shaken up. "I won't go anywhere."

Standing up, Ari looked down at her like she was nothing more than a bug. "Why's that?"

She didn't answer right away at first. She wasn't too sure of her answer. "This is my home now," she said. She pressed herself against the tree trunk in a slight effort to widen the space between her and the boy. "I won't let you take me away."

Ari was shaking his head, giving the girl a worn and pathetic smile that seemed to resemble pity. "Aw, kid, you don't belong here. You're not like the people that live in that house."

His words stung and Sam cringed. "I am," she said defensivly. "Just becuse I have no memories doesn't mean I-"

"You really are clueless, aren't you?" Ari said. "You aren't like them because you are not human."

The girl's eyes widened at those words and she nearly stumbled to the ground again. She looked down at herself for a quick second, taking account of the two legs that she had and the two arms that she had and the two hands that she had, and the human body that she did indeed possess, confirming to herself that was a human despite his words. Forcing herself to hold out just a little longer, she said, "You're crazy."

Ari gave her another sinister grin, his eyes burning happily. "You think I'm playing around? I thought I just told you I don't like games. Kid, the BEC altered your DNA so much that I wouldn't even say you have single fiber of human DNA in your body. You're their experiment- their _property_- and it's about time I bring you back to your real home, don't you think?" Ari's face was close to hers, mocking her. "Oh? don't give me that face. If you're so desperate to stay here then, tell me, what is it exactly you're going to do about it?"

After receiving only a weak glare from the helpless girl in front of him, the boy continued to push her. "That's what I thought. You forgot who you are and you have no control over this." And with that he raised his blade.

One moment Sam had opened her mouth to hysterically and furiously scream at him to stop, but the next thing she knew was that she was suddenly surrounded in a bright light, and she could no longer see anything. And she suddenly felt a sharp, painful tugging at her back. She thought he had killed her, she thought he was stabbing her, and that was the source of her pain. But in the next instant the light was gone and the pain disappeared, and Ari was staring at her, susprised. Sam herself was not quite sure what had just happened and thought for a moment that she has only imagined the light, but the strange look Ari was giving her told her otherwise. She glanced down at herself she nearly jumped out of her skin.

She was no longer in her school uniform, but she was in a strange, white, strapless dress that flared out at her thighs. She suddenly had on white boots that went up to her knees, a garter belt on her left thigh, and white bands on her upper arms. Shocked, Sam stumbled backwards, once again bumping into the tree behind her. But, practically scaring her to death, something soft blocked her from completely touching the tree.

For a moment, still leaning against the tree and the object between her and it, Sam was a statue. But after a moment, she slowly turned her head to the ground, and her heart stopped beating for a moment.

At her feet were feathers. They were big, and as she pressed herself closer to the tree, more fell from behind her back. Hesitantly, the girl glanced over her shoulder, and in the next instant she was screaming.

There were two giant white wings sticking out of her back. _Out of her back_. Now convinced that she was seeing things, the girl delicately reached back to touch one, and when she actually felt the feathers on her skin, she thought she was going to faint.

"Remember now?"

Ari's voice was close and sudden, and he was practically speaking into her ear. But so much was happening at the moment that Sam did not even flinch when he spoke.

When she looked back at him there were tears were streaming down her face. They weren't quite from saddness, or even fear. They were just falling as if her body was breaking apart on it's own, at the realization that the boy's words were true, that she really wasn't human. And as she saw Ari once again lift up his blade, Sam shrieked and threw out her arms. Sam had only intended to push him away, but as she touched him he went tumbling backwards in an alarmingly forced manor. It took te girl a moment that it was not she herself that made him fall back, but a strong gust of wind that literally came out of nowhere. But, thinking harder into it, Sam realized that she herself had caused the wind. And, as she did, her hands fell limp to her sides. For a long while she only watched Ari with shocked and questioning eyes, and Ari, who was sitting on the opposite side of the trail against the trunk of a tree, watched her back.

Ari had just begun to push himself up, but as soon as me moved Sam screamed, "No..! Please just stay there! Don't come any closer! Please..!" And she was crying again. None of this was making any sense! What was happening to her?

The boy was crouching now, and he looked thoughtful. "Alright."

Sam was staring at him with her eyebrows narrowed and her eyes wide. At first she thought she misheard him, but seeing that he was certainly staying where he was, Sam mouth fell open slightly, and she became confused. "If... If you're trying to trick me…!"

"I'm not," he replied calmly. "I'm no liar." The boy stood up and Sam, bracing herself, pressed harder against the tree. But the boy did not move any closer. "It'll be more interesting this way."

Sam would not make eye-contact with him. She had her head turned to the side slightly and she was staring at the ground. "More… interesting…?" she echoed.

"I'll be back very soon," he said, and the way he was speaking made it sound like an ensuring promise rather than the threat that Sam knew very well he meant it to be. He was leaning towards her and the sly and dangerous smile he had on his face was making her feel even more uncomfortable then she already was, if that was even possible. "And I think, for now, I'll look at this like a game."

Sam was watching him with a lowered face and dark, narrowed eyes. "You said you didn't like games," she breathed, quiet and shaky.

"That's true," said Ari. His tone made Sam flinch. "But this looks like it's going to get very, _very_interesting, and, " he leaned a little closer. "I'm hoping I'll soon get a challenge out of you."

In the next moment Ari had vanished from the spot. Right before Sam's eyes, she watch him dissolve into the air, his piercing eyes being the last to disappear. And in the next moment everything was quiet. Sam slid down onto the ground, still stunned. For a long while she was much too stunned to even think.

There were only two question raging through the girls mind: What in the world was Ari? And, what in the world was she?


	5. Let's Play

**REVIEW**

"This looks like it's going to get very, very interesting, and, " he leaned a little closer. "I'm hoping I'll soon get a challenge out of you."

In the next moment Ari had vanished from the spot. Right before Sam's eyes, she watch him dissolve into the air, his piercing eyes being the last to disappear. And in the next moment everything was quiet. Sam slid down onto the ground, still stunned. For a long while she was much too stunned to even think.

There were only two question raging through the girls mind: What in the world was Ari? And, what in the world was she?

* * *

><p>She wasn't sure how long she'd been standing there, watching the house through the trees, but it must have been a while. The sky was beginning to darken and the birds were quieting, so it must have been late. But time, at the moment, was not Sam's biggest worry. She was much more concerned about the <em>wings<em>on her back.

She knew very well that leaving was now her only option. She was in danger, and her being around Matt and his mom would only guarantee the same for them. And how could she go back in the state she was in? She didn't even know if she would ever return to normal. And if she showed up looking the way she did, she was more than positive that Matt and his mom would turn her away anyway. She was more than terrified of rejection. But, at the same time, she could not bring herself to just turn around and go. In her head her conscience was screaming at her that she could not just vanish without a word- without saying at least 'thank you'. Especially after all they had done for her. And she was petrified to leave when she didn't have any clue where she would go or what she would do. Maybe it this was merely her being selfish, but, simply put, she just didn't want to leave. And so Sam was stuck there, torn between what she knew she had to do and what she wanted to do.

But suddenly Sam heard the door to the house in front of her open and slam shut with an alarming bang, and around the house ran Matt holding his cell phone to his ear. And, quicker than Sam even knew she could move, she dove into the trees and concealed herself in the bushes that lined the trail. The girl watched him through the bushes as he drew closer to her, and she held her breath as he ran by her. He did not notice her at all. As Matt ran by, Sam could hear him saying into the phone, "… left your house _three hours ago_? No, no, she _didn't_. I'm going to fucking _murder her_. Yeah, I'm leaving now and if you could just come and look with..." But soon he was out of Sam's hearing range, and she could no longer understand what he was saying.

She knew very well that he was talking to Robin, and she knew that he was talking about her. Sam knew he was going to look for her, and the fact that she was causing that panicked expression on his face both shocked and hurt her. She wanted more than anything to call out to him and tell him she was alright, but she found herself to be too much of a coward to do so.

Once he was out of sight, Sam fell back against the tree next to her. She was undeniably furious with herself. How could she let him pointlessly search for her and worry like that? Could she really be this selfish? If she was just going to keep up this pathetic act forever and just hide here then she might as well just leave already. This was stupid; it was so incredibly stupid…

And yet, no matter how many times those words repeated in her head, Sam remained in the same spot. Her body would not move.

Sam buried her head in her arms. As soon as Matt got back, she decided, she'd come out and talk to him. She'd thank him, and then she'd leave. And that would be that. And then after that she'd…. she'd…

* * *

><p>"Sam."<p>

The voice was faint, but it was soft and familiar and Sam opened her eyes. She was surprised to find it pitch black all around her, and for a moment she was afraid. It took her moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but when they did she was able to make out Matt crouched down in front of her. Her body immediately froze up, and when he once again called her name, she didn't answer.

"You never came home," he said solemnly. His voice sounded tired and strained and stern, and Sam flinched. "Sam, answer me." But Sam did not. All the words that she had so desperately wanted to say to the boy had suddenly disappeared from her mind as if they had never been thought at all.

"Do you have any idea what I just went through?" asked Matt, raising his voice and grabbing onto her shoulders. "I wouldn't have found you if I didn't hear you sleeping! I thought something had happened..! I…" his voice trailed off, and he directed his attention to the ground, the seriousness in his voice faltering a little. "But… I guess something… _did_happen to you…"

Sam's head jerked up. He was seeing her. He was seeing her wings. Even now Sam didn't know what to think. Her mind remained blank. She wanted more than anything to hide herself, but at the same time she knew it was useless.

Matt did not continue talking, and, still grabbing onto her shoulders, he looked expectant for an answer. But Sam had no clue how to respond. She tried to sort out her thoughts and explain, but she could not. And finally she breathed out the words, "I'm sorry."

Matt's grip on her tightened, and he was scowling at her. "I don't want your apology," he hissed desperately. His eyes were bright with anxiety and his jaw was set. "Right now all I want is an explanation! Why do you have _wings_? Sam!"

Matt was scared, and this was painfully obvious to Sam. This was just the way she had expected him to react."I'm sorry," she repeated, her expression suddenly drastically changing from scared to terrifyingly empty. In all his life he had never seen a face as emotionless as Sam's looked at the moment. "Thank you for everything." Sam stood up and she turned around, taking a step out of the bushes. "I didn't mean to trick you. I just stayed to tell you this and to tell you goodbye."

But Matt reached forward and grabbed her wrist, and after a moment of holding on to her he spoke. "Trick me?" Sam nodded.

The boy was quiet for a moment. He was more than positive that Sam was going to try to run away. "So that's it?" He paused, waiting for Sam to answer. "You're just going to leave?"

"Yes."

Matt stood up, still holding onto her. The sure and impassive tone of her voice stung him. "Why?"

"Because."

"_Sam._If anything you owe me at least an explanation."

The girl was quiet for a moment. "I'm not safe."

"You're not dangerous."

"No, I mean I'm not safe _here_."

"And you think running away without a place to go will be any better?"

"Yes." The girl took in a deep breath. "And…" but she cut herself off.

"And…?"

"I'm not safe to be around. You're not safe ether."

Matt paused. "That doesn't matter. I want you to stay."

The girls hands clenched into fists. The fact that Matt was taking the matter of his being in danger so lightly- or at least pretending to take it lightly- was starting to piss her off. "You could be killed because of me."

Matt faltered, having not expected to hear that. "By who?"

"Because of me."

"_By who?_"

Sam scowled. She tried to pull away from Matt but his grip on her wrist tightened. "Ari," she finally said.

"That's his name?" Matt asked. Sam nodded. "Who told you this?"

"Ari."

"Who is Ari?"

"I don't know."

"Why is he going to kill me?"

"Because I'm near you and you won't be safe."

"What does he want?"

"He wants to take me away."

"What does he _want_from you?"

"I don't know."

"Why is he going to take you?"

"Stop asking me why."

Matt's grip on her tightened firecly, and she couldn't help but notice that even his roughtest grip was nothing compared to Ari's. So much that if she really wanted to she could tear away from him and run. But she couldn't do that. Despite the stubbornness she was giving him, she didn't want to leave Matt in that way. She wanted him to smile at her like he always did, make her feel better, and let her go. Remembering how strong Ari was, how easily he could probably kill Matt, made her want to leave even more."Am I supposed to just leave things the way they are and let you walk away?"

Sam was quiet for a moment. "He was hired."

Matt wished that Sam would give him more than these short answers. It looked like the only was he would get anything out of her would be to keep up this question-and-answer routine. "By who?"

"The government."

"The government? Why do they want you?"

"Ari says they own me."

"I don't give a crap about what Ari _said_. You can't own a human being."

Sam spun around and was suddenly glaring up at him. "Ari said that I'm not human, Matt! I got away from them, and they're trying to get me back. See this?" Sam pointed to her wing. Her voice was rising with every word, and she was becoming angrier with every question that Matt asked, despite the nagging feeling that tgged in her chest with every word that she yelled at him. "They did that to me. _They made me_." Sam was growling, and tossed her head to side as a demonstration of her frustration. "This is pointless. I have to go-"

Sam pulled her hand away, but Matt quickly grabbed it again, this time twisting his fingers through hers and tightly holding on. Sam almost immediately calmed, and she quietly watched their hands. And, after a moment of silence, Matt tugged her gently and he began to head for his home. Still holding onto her hand, Sam quietly walked along side him.

When they were just about at the door, Sam gently held back onto Matt's hand. In the back of her mind she was screaming at herself to run away while she still had the chance to keep Matt safe, but her body would not listen. This was probably the most idiotic mistake she could possibly make, and Sam knew this all too well. She knew that this was more than selfish on her part, but what could she so when her selfish side was in control?

* * *

><p>It was later that night, and Sam was in her room. Matt at the moment was downstairs in the living room lying on the couch, thinking over everything that had just happened.<p>

When he had finally gotten Sam to come inside, he brought her to her room. The anger that she had been so stubbornly forcing herself to show Matt had dissolved by then, and she looked like she was going to cry. She apologized again, at least a hundred times. And Matt, left with no other option, sat with her and held her until she stopped, promising- even though he knew it was foolish to make such a promise- that nobody else would find out about her.

But there was the matter of her wings. Matt knew very well that they wouldn't be able to hide those. Sam had almost read Matt's mind at that moment and had gingerly reached back to touch her wing, and cringed away almost as if it burned her. She'd then said to him, "I just wish they'd go away." And, much to Matt's amazement, Sam was suddenly surrounded in a bright light, and by the time the light faded she was back in her school uniform and the wings were completely gone. She had looked just as surprised-if not, more surprised- as Matt.

Matt left Sam alone after that -it seemed that she wanted to be left alone- and he ended up in the living room. He'd had been there since then.

Matt didn't know what to make of the situation. He was stunned and confused, and to be honest, when he first found her on the trail and when he first saw her wings he really was afraid. But for Christ's sake, the girl had _wings_! He was completely shocked! How could he not react to that in any other way? He wasn't sure he believed the nonsense that Sam belinged to the government or that she was created by them or that he wasn't even human, but he couldn't help but wonder how Sam had wings in the first place? How could it even be possible to give a human being wings? It just didn't make any sense. And how in the world could Sam forget something about herself like this?

All that Matt knew was that he had to support her, no matter what. When he had got worked up earlier and began to yell at her, demanding to know what was going on and why she had wings, Sam detached herself again. She looked the same as when Matt first found her- emotionless and empty and completely hopeless. Matt had just begun making progress with her, and if this _Ari_guy kept this crap up Matt would end up back at square one with Sam. And he absolutely did not want that to happen.

What concerned Matt the most was that boy called Ari. What the hell was this guy's deal? Who did he think he was, threatening Sam out of nowhere? And who was he? The answers that Sam had given him were not enough. The more Matt kept asking himself these questions the more frustrated he got with himself because he didn't know how to answer himself.

And to top everything off, he was afraid. He was afraid for Sam, but he could not deny that he was afraid for himself as well. Sam was no liar, and she was not one to make up stories. This whole thing was real, and now Matt was involved. He was defiantly going to find trouble with Ari, and the more Matt confirmed this to himself the sicker he began to feel.

Pulling back his hair, Matt sighed. "It seems as if," he muttered, falling back against the couch, "I'm getting mixed up with strange people again."

* * *

><p>The weekend passed and nothing happened, much to Sam's bewilderment. She herself had stayed locked inside the house, keeping a close eye on what was going on outside just in case Ari showed up again. Of course, she wasn't sure what she'd do if he actually did show up, but she knew that she's have to lure him away from Matt in any way she could. Not to be mistaken, she was undoubtedly glad that Art didn't come. But at the same time she could not sit still or focus because she could not help but feel that Ari was planning something. She was more nervous now then she had been when Matt had first taken her in, if that was even possible.<p>

And there were times when she would stand by the window keeping watch when that all-too-familiar shutter would run through her body like an earthquake, and Sam would instantly know that, although she could not see him, Ari was seeing her. Moments like these only happened four times throughout the course of the weekend, but four times was enough to remind Sam that this was all real, and to not let her guard down.

But the weekend dragged on sure enough and sooner than Sam hoped, it was Monday morning. Sam, at the moment, was standing at the window of her room watching the trees across the yard. In a matter of minutes she and Matt would be forced to leave the safety of the house. Even though Sam could not feel Ari watching her, she knew that he could show up at any moment of the day, be it on their way to school or-even worse- _at_school.

The girl could hear her door open, and Sam knew it was Matt. The boy slowly and quietly walked up to her. "You shouldn't worry yourself like this. We'll be fine-"

"Don't be stupid."

Matt flinched, and he was surprised to find himself suppressing a small laugh. Why he found Sam calling him an idiot like that funny, he did not really know. Maybe it was just his nerves. "Maybe I am," he said, bumping his shoulder into hers. "Let's go."

The boy led her downstairs to the front door, and he threw her backpack to her. But the instant Matt opened the door Sam froze behind him. Matt turned around and looked at her just as she said, "Close the door."

"What's wrong?"

"He's out there! _Close it_."

But he did not. Instead, Matt whipped around and stuck his head out side, looking all around him. He looked intent, as if he was suddenly strong and would be able to hurt Ari if he actually got his hands on him. But after a moment, Matt pulled back inside. He opened his mouth to say that he saw nothing, but Sam reached around him, grabbed onto the door and slammed in shut behind him.

She was close to him, and Matt could see that her eyes were shaking. And she looked angry. "I know this is hard to believe, but I can feel when he's out there! I don't know him but I know that he's not… he's not _human_! Matt! Don't look for him like there's no risk of you getting hurt! You don't know-"

But suddenly the doorbell rang, and both Matt and Sam froze. After a moment of silence, it rang twice more. Sam looked up at Matt, clenching his wrist. Her voice was a trembling breath. "Your mom?"

Matt's mom had left for work a good hour ago. He glanced out of the window at the far corner of the room. From where he was standing he could get a good view of the driveway. Her car was not there. "No."

This time there was a knock on the door, and Matt jumped as he felt the door vibrate against his back. There was no window on the door, so there was no way to see who was there. Holding on to Sam, he stepped back from the door. "Upstairs," he breathed, "My room has a window. We can see who it is from there-"

"Hello?" the voice called from the other side of the door. Sam nearly jumped out of her skin and her backpack fell to the ground. It was Ari after all. "It's impolite to ignore a guest. Come over here and let me inside. It's cold out here, you know?"

Matt was staring at the door. From Sam's expression he could tell that this person was Ari. So this guy was real, after all. He threw his backpack to the side and sucked in a deep breath. "What do you wan? Are you here to harass Sam again?"

"_Matt_," Sam hissed. "Don't-" But Matt's hand slipped onto her mouth.

"Sam?" Ari's muffled voice asked. "The girl I'm looking for does not have a name."

Sam's eyes widened and Matt's jaw tightened. After a moment, he said, "The girl you _threatened _Friday night is named Sam."

Ari was quiet for a moment. "You named her then?"

"No." His face faltered in slight confusion, at the fact that Ari was so convinced this girl was nameless. "This was always her name from when she first came here."

"They told me that she didn't have a name. How strange. _Sam_, huh?" Ari paused. Sam could tell from his tone that Ari was smiling, and clearly enjoying himself. "You must be Matt."

Matt faltered, and he looked shocked. "You know my name." He probably meant it to be a question, but he was too stunned to make it one.

"I've been keeping tabs on this house for a while." Matt and Sam could hear Ari shift so that he was leaning against the door. He was laughing.

Taken aback, Matt clenched his teeth, both afraid and sickened. "What do you want with Sam," he repeated.

"I assume _Sam_already told you all she knows." He was talking casually, as if he was completely laid back this. And Sam did not like the way he was saying her name. He was saying it almost as if it were a joke.

"What else do you know?" If anything, Matt hoped to learn a little more about who Sam was. If he had something to do with Sam's past, he wanted to hear it.

Ari laughed again. "It's not important."

Sam's eyes widened and she pulled Matt's hand away from his mouth. "Matt stop-"

"Not important?" Matt yelled. He let go of Sam and turned to the door so that he was practically screaming into the wood. Slamming his hands on it, he continued. "Are you completely fucked up! What is this all about?" Sam ran to Matt and squeezed in between him and the door, hissing, "_Don't_!"

"Fucked up?" asked the voice. Matt pressed against the door, anxious for Ari's answer.

"Maybe just a little."

Matt and Sam froze. The voice was no longer faint and it no longer came from the other side of the door, but was now loud and clear and was coming from… right… behind… them?

Sam, still between Matt and the door, was the first to see Ari. He was standing behind Matt, and he had his hands in his pockets in the most casual manor. His eyes looked alarmingly serious, but the faint grin on his face seemed to be teasing them.

Matt was looking at him now, and he looked horrified. "How did you…." His voice trailed off, and he tried to swallow. "What are you..?"

"Huh. '_What_am I'?" Ari asked, stepping closer. "That's harsh."

Matt clenched his teeth, and he remained in between Sam and Ari, trying to keep them seperated as best as he could. "You're not human."

Ari looked towards the ceiling. "No, I'm not. I suppose… I suppose to someone like you I'd be called an 'alien'." He was still smiling.

"An _alien_! Is this some sort of joke? What's going _on_?" hissed Matt, reaching back and grabbing onto Sam with one hand, as if he was afraid she would disappear just as easily as Ari appeared.

Sam was surprised, to say the least. Matt was handling this much better then she had. It was clear to her that he was afraid- he was shaking. But he was trying hard not to show it for her sake. At the same time, however, Sam wished he would act on his fear and run for it, instead of facing Ari like an idiot.

"Like I said, it hardly matters. You know the basics and that's more than you need to know." Ari was standing directly in front of Matt. "But aside from that, I never introduced myself. I'm Ari." He stuck out his hand, just as he had done when Sam first met him.

Matt looked up at Ari with a mix of stock, confusion, and astonishment. But in an instant he regained himself, and he pressed closer to the door, squeezing Sam against it and making her wince. "Just stay away from Sam."

Ari sighed and withdrew his hand. "How cold," he muttered. "Sam was much nicer to me when we first met-"

"_And then you tried to kill her_," spat Matt. In an instant his hand fell from Sam's wrist, grabbed onto the doorknob, and he threw the door open, pushing Sam outside. "_You can go screw yourself! Just keep away from Sam!_" and Matt jumped out and slammed the door shut. And the next thing Sam knew was that they were both running.

Matt, now running by Sam's side, guided her to the wood trail that would lead them into town. Sam glanced at him and saw that the brave front he had put up in front of Ari had vanished; he now looked scared and out of breath and shaken up. She'd have to repay him somehow for everything he was doing for her. But, now was not the time to be thinking of that. Right now all they needed to do was concentrate on getting into town. And soon enough, they could see the end of the trail.

But suddenly Ari was in front of them again, and the two of them, skidded to a halt. Matt hearly fell over out of the shock of seeing him dissolve out of the air.

But Ari looked serious now, and he looked angry. In an instant he had his hand on Matt's shoulder. Facing the human boy, Ari smiled. "I'm impressed, kid," said Ari. "And I kind of like your spunk. So you can blame this girl for whatever happens to you next." Before Matt could say anything, Ari turned to Sam, who fell into state of terror the second Ari laid hands on Matt.

"Please let go of him," Sam breathed.

"You know that people are going to get hurt because of you, and you still stayed with this kid? I was sure that after we first met you would run away. I'm kind of disappointed in you." Ari looked at her in a mocking manor. "You're selfish mistake will cost this good kid his life."

Sam's blood turned into ice inside of her. For a long while she remained in shock. "I… I wanted to leave…"

"But you did not."

"Is that all you want me to do?" Sam asked. She was on the verge of hysteria. "If I leave, you'll leave Matt alone?"

"I won't have any reason to do otherwise, would I?"

"Then consider me gone! I'll go right-"

"Sam, Sam, I don't want you to leave _me_. Now, I have a job to do, remember? If you cooperate and come with me then I'll leave this kid alone."

"Yes, Yes," choked the girl immediately. "I'll do whatever you want just leave Matt _alone_…!"

"And you'll-"

"_For the last time, yes_," shrieked Sam. Tears were in her eyes now. "Just…!" She threw her hand towards them. "_Get your hands off of him_!"

And suddenly, before Sam knew what was going on, she was once again blinded by the same light that had surrounded her the first time she and Ari met. And again she felt the same sharp, painful tug on her back which Sam now knew was due to her wings. She did not even have to think twice to know that she was no longer in her school uniform, but instead in that white outfit. And then the light faded, and by the time she knew what was going on, there was a violent wind pushing at Sam's outstretched hand. She only managed to register the wind as it pierced in between Ari and Matt and as Ari was sent stumbling backwards.

Ari's expression was what first made Sam realize her mistake.

The boy was watching her with a fierce face and Sam immediately withdrew herself, taking a few steps backwards. She was grabbing onto the hand that she had used to control the wind. "I didn't mean to…! I didn't...!"

"It would seem as though you don't understand just how delicate the situation is."

Sam was suddenly breathless. "No…! I-"

"And it would seem as though you remain ignorant to the fact that people _will_get hurt because of your childish behavior."

The girl was desperate and her face showed it clearly. "_No…!_"

"And so it would seem I need to demonstrate," and in an instant Ari's blade was in hand, and quicker then Sam even knew possible he had flung the blade towards Matt.

"_No!_shrieked Sam. She was no longer thinking. Her body was moving on its own, as if she knew how to work herself all along. The girl had thrown herself into the air, but she did not fall back towards the ground. From being a good distance from the two boys, she suddenly found herself between them in an instant. And Sam's hand somehow found it's was around the blade and the girl immediately threw it down at the ground. In the back of her mind she knew that if she had waited a split-second longer, the blade would have cut into Matt's face.

And Sam suddenly found herself standing there, her composure regained, as if she had not just done anything at all… as if she did not just _fly_. She was facing a tree, her hands flat on its trunk, and she was close to it. If she had stopped herself a second later she would have crashed. There was blood beginning to drip from the hand that she caught the blade with, and it was dripping down the trunk. Her hand was stinging, but Sam was much too overwhelmed with the situation to pay it any attention.

Slowly Sam turned around. She only glimpsed Matt's stunned expression when Ari caught her eye. She turned to him just as he threw himself at her. Much quicker then Sam could react, Ari slammed his lower arm against her upper chest, just below her throat, and Sam was thrown into the tree behind her so hard that the wind was knocked out of her. Still pressing against her, Ari brought his face close to hers. "That's enough."

From the corner of her eye, Sam saw the blade disappear from the dirt, and it was suddenly once again in Ari's grasp.

Desperate, and no longer thinking, the small girl breathed, "I'll give you what you asked for."

Ari was promptly thrown off guard. "Come again?"

Sam watched him for a moment, trying to find the logic in her words. She couldn't. "You said you want a challenge." Sam was not sure completely sure of what she was saying. And she felt as if she would lose control and collapse under Ari's arm at any moment. She wished more than anything that her body would act on its own again so she could get away from him. What was coming out of Sam's mouth were words were the first words that she could think of, and they were by no means words that she was thinking through. Saying this would probably-definitely- get her into more trouble than she was already in, but she didn't have any other choice. In a way she was just stalling him. "I-I'll give you what you asked for…! Just please…!" Tears were once again gathering in her eyes. "Please do not hurt Matt…!"

"If you don't want him involved then you're better off cooperating with me."

Sam was shaking her head, her eyes were tightly shut and her teeth were clenched. She spoke slowly, "I can't do that…! I need a chance…!"

Ari faltered. "That is…"

"You can get you're challenge; I'll get a chance," Sam was breathing hard, praying with all her might that this would work. "Please-"

"Well, well, well, look who wants to play, now." He was all smiles again. "Since I'm a pretty flexible guy I'll let have it just this once.

Moving closer to her, he pressed his arm harder onto Sam, making her take in a sharp gasp. He was much stronger than her, so making her suffer in these small ways would be easy. And Sam, realizing just how vulnerable she was at the moment, turned her head in an attempt to keep as much space between them as possible. "P-please don't-"

But Ari grabbed her face and forced her to look at him. "Listen now and listen good. I'll take you up on your offer. But I suggest that you keep me entertained. Because the instant I become bored," Ari moved his face in so that he was speaking into her ear. He was speaking in a low, seductive voice that made Sam's skin crawl. Caught in between Ari and the tree, Sam could not help but feel completely surrounded by him and helpless to do anything about it, like his presence alone was killing her. "I will take you."

He was whispering in her ear now, and he was grinning. It was as if with every word he was moving in on her. Still holding onto her hand, he breathed, "Don't disappoint me."

Ari disappearing was the last thing Sam saw before everything went black.


	6. Raise the Heat

**REVIEW**

But Ari grabbed her face and forced her to look at him. "Listen now and listen good. I'll take you up on your offer. But I suggest that you keep me entertained. Because the instant I become bored," Ari moved his face in so that he was speaking into her ear. He was speaking in a low, sinister voice that made Sam's skin crawl. Caught in between Ari and the tree, Sam could not help but feel completely surrounded by Ari and helpless to do anything about it. "I will just take you."

He was whispering in her ear now, and he was grinning. It was as if with every word he was moving in on her. Still holding onto her hand, he breathed, "Don't disappoint me."

Ari disappearing was the last thing Sam saw before everything went black.

* * *

><p>Sam moaned herself awake and pressed her hands to her head, trying to blink her eyes open. Her vision was blurred so she couldn't quite see anything, and she didn't have a clue what was going on. The only thing she was aware of was that she was trembling, and she felt afraid. She didn't remember what had happened or why she felt like this, it almost felt like she'd just woken up from some nightmarish dream and, when though she'd forgotten it already, the effects of it still remained on her body.<p>

But suddenly a hand lightly came down on her shoulder and Sam jumped a little, taken by surprise. She tried to open her eyes but still found she just didn't have the strength to, and, blinking rapidly, she searched for the source of the hand. Finally she was able to make out Matt knelt down beside her. He was looking down at her tiredly, and he looked distressed. And, looking around again, Sam vaguely realized that she was in the boy's living-room, lying on the couch.

Matt had the back of his hand against her cheek now. He was muttering words to her but Sam was too dazed to understand what he was saying. Giving up on trying to decode what he was trying to say, Sam pushed herself up, grabbing onto the back of the couch for support. She blindly reached for the boy beside her, weakly mumbling his name over and over again. She felt Matt's hand take hers into his, and Sam let herself fall forward into him, and she wrapped her arms around him. She was tired, and right now, even though she didn't understand it herself, she only wanted to feel him holding her.

She did not cry, which was unexpected for Matt. Ever since he had gotten her back home, he had been mentally preparing himself for her waterworks. Hell, if Matt were he, he was pretty positive that he'd be bawling himself. But instead, for reasons beyond Matt, she seemed like she was going to do nothing more than hold on to him.

Matt didn't quite remember what had happened; everything was a blur in his mind. Everything that had just happened felt so unreal. Similar to Sam, the boy felt as if he was trying to remember a dream that simply could not be remembered to the fullest. There were only two things that were clear in the boy's memory now, One: snapping out of his shock only to see Sam out cold, and then carrying her back home. And two: Ari.

The face of Ari was sharp and clear in Matt's mind. So clear that it was almost painful to think about. Once Matt had seen that boy's face- that _alien's_ face- he was able to understand just how real this was. And he also realized just how much of an idiot he was for not even considering that Sam had been serious when she had first told him that both he and she would be in danger on her account. Of course, even if he had considered it, he would still not have let her leave. But Matt was now aware of the circumstances- or _consequences_- of the whole thing, and he knew that this was not a joke. Ari was a serious threat.

Matt had been so absorbed in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed Sam mumbling sorry to him over and over again. But then he did notice, and to quiet her down he lightly tightened his grip around her. But still, he said nothing. He couldn't bring himself to give her words of comfort, because somehow anything he could possibly say felt like a lie.

* * *

><p>Going to school for the next few weeks was brutal.<p>

Matt and Sam completely terrified to walk to school. They had tried to convince Cynthia to drive them, but the woman stubbornly refused, claiming that she barely got to work on time as it was. And since she always got home so late, she'd never be able to pick them up anyway.

And so they had to walk. And walking there and back for the next couple of weeks drove Matt and Sam absolutely crazy. They were more than terrified of Ari showing up again. He has easily proved that he could kill them and cause all kinds of damage quite easily during their last encounter, and there was nothing they could do about it. Even Sam, who had these strange powers, was clearly powerless against Ari, who seemed to be overwhelmingly stronger than her. And so Sam and Matt ran. Each day, they ran to school and home. The fear of seeing Ari again just about drove them mad.

But the wasted energy proved to be in vain. Because, for two weeks, there was no sign of Ari. However, at first this seemed to terrorize them all the more. Was Ari watching them from someplace? Was he planning something? Was he waiting in hiding for the perfect moment- any moment- to attack? And it was because all of these were possible that Sam and Matt went just about insane.

But as more weeks passed with no encounter from Ari, Sam and Matt gradually began to calm down. And before they knew it, almost three months passed by. Ari never came. Not even once. Sam never even felt like she was being watched. It was as Ari was nothing more than some crazy realistic nightmare. He simply had vanished.

Ari teleported into his ship and immediately stormed away to the control room. He slammed the door behind him and locked it before taking fierce hold of the controls and starting up the ship. He angrily stared out of the window in front of him, watching the view he had of his planet's ship port grow smaller as his own ship slowly rose higher into the air.

The boy had been called to his planet by the council who had decided that Ari was taking much too long with the mission, which- once Ari had reported the details of the mission back to them after he had been assigned to complete it by BEC- they saw as a joke from the start. Tracking and hunting were what his people were skilled at since the planet they were living on was not yet tamed and remained mostly forests, and the council figured tracking a human child with no recollection of her past would be immeasurably easier then catching an animal. This was the reason Ari was given permission to take part in the mission in the first place- it was seen as easy, simple, something even Ari could do.

But when a week had passed and Ari had not made any progress, it became obvious that the boy was stalling, and that he was certainly not even capable of such a simple mission. Once Ari had finally reached his home, he had been told that the mission had been reassigned to someone else. But when the boy stubbornly insisted that he would not waste anymore time, they decided to give him one more chance-one _last_chance. This would not only be his last chance to complete the mission, but Ari knew that it would also be his last chance to ever get the respect from his people that he had the right to.

And so Ari once again left for earth. Only this time he did not leave alone.

Somebody knocked heavily on the door to the control room, but Ari ignored it and continued to raise the ship higher into the planet's atmosphere. The knocking stopped, but suddenly Ari felt the being teleport behind him and a hand came down on his shoulder.

"Just in case you weren't aware, but there's really no point in locking the door when locks don't apply to us," stated the being flatly. "It might be illegal to teleport at home, but there's no problem with doing it on a ship."

Ari rolled his eyes and shrugged the hand off his shoulder. "Why don't you go get settled in your cozy little room and take a nice long nap? It'll be a long ride."

"I'm driving," stated the man flatly. "You're a horrible driver and we'll get there faster if I drive."

Ari scoffed. "No, you're not, _Omega_. I'm not the kind of person who lets somebody he hates touch his things. Get out."

Omega sighed from behind Ari released the controls of the ship and crossed his arms. "I wouldn't be here if you had only done what you were supposed to for once."

"I was _working on it_," growled Ari through his teeth. He turned around and glared at the older alien, pointing to the steel door. "_Get out_." But immediatly, the second Ari took his hands off the grip, the ship started to violently shake and an alarm suddenly began to sound. And Ari,realizing that it was because he took his hands off the controls, threw himself back onto them and sharply pulled the ship back on track.

"You only keep making a fool of yourself, Ari."

Ari's eyes flashed evasivly towards Omega. The man, suddenly worn with annoyance, ran his hand through his shaggy, black hair. "I don't think you get it. I'm in charge of the ship now, and I'm in charge of _you_. You take _my_orders now even though this ship belongs to you. Maybe if you do we won't have as many screw ups." When Ari opened his mouth, most likely to make some immature remark, Omega said, "And I suggest you cooperate. You're lucky they still let you take part in this but let me warn you; if you continue acting like a child I will not hesitate to send you home. Are we clear?"

Ari growled,but surrendered. He dropped the controls, which Omega took quick hold of. Stopping at the door, Ari said over his shoulder. "Drive my girl steady and take good care of her then, or I swear I'll _kill you_."

Omega was pretty high in power back at their home, and he absolutely loved being in control of everything. He had used his smarts to work his way into power. And that sickened Ari. He never liked Omega, and Ari had always tried to have as little to do with him as possible. But that was always hard, because the more Ari tried to keep away from him, the more Omega seemed to pry into Ari's business. And now, Ari was stuck in the same ship with the creep for _who knows how long_.

But as soon as Ari unlocked the door and stepped out, he bumped into another person and stumbled backwards. Ari blinked, and then looked down at the smaller boy in front of him. The boy grinned up at Ari eagerly, and the sight of that familiar snickey mouth suddenly made Ari want to throw up. "Yeah, and I'm in charge of you too!"

Ari rolled his eyes and pushed the boy aside. "You're younger than me, Marcon. Don't count on that." As soon as Ari was out of the control room, Omega slammed the door shut with a bang, and continued drive the ship where Ari had left off.

"Doesn't matter, doesn't matter," sang Marcon, trailing after Ari and walking by his side. "They told me I had to make sure you're doing your job right."

Ari growled and grabbed onto Marcon's light brown hair, which was held together as a small ponytail by a tiny piece of cloth on the back of his head. He pulled backwards on it, making Marcon yelp and stop fall behind. And before Marcon could do anything to Ari in return, Ari teleported away into his room, and landed on his bed. He hated Marcon even more than Omega. The little brat never left him alone.

Marcon was young, but he accelerated in school and promised to be the best fighter on the planet. He graduated training school and _3 years_ earlier than normal, which, up until Marcon, was unheard of. Ari himself had just finished training not too long ago at the normal age of 18, and Marcon didn't hesitate to give him a hard time about that since, while they finished at the same time, Marcon was three years younger. And since then, the kid was able to gain the respect and admiration from every trained fighter there wason the planet, even the highest ranked fighters and officials, and was seen as a "_perfect role model_" for all fighters. And because of this the kid was given more privileges then most, including the opportunity to take on the mission.

Ari clenched his teeth together. No more wasting time. If he wanted to survive staying on the ship with these two he'd have to finish this fast and make his fucking planet happy.

* * *

><p>Ari was suddenly in the skies, looking down at the small and vacent town that Sam lived in.<p>

In the end, Omega had been right. It had taken them nearly half as long as it usually took Ari to get to earth. And, even though they had decided to wait a few more days to go for Sam to catch up on some rest and make sure the ship was in good condition after the long trip, Ari decided to pay the girl an early visit. Most of the reason was because he didn't particurly want to be around his teammates since Omega was giving him shit about them getting there early, making comment after comment about Ari's immature and stubborn behavior and honestly Ari had heard enough. Omega honestly was trying to help Ari fix his attitude, and Ari knew that, but he also didn't care about what the older man had to say. And there was also Marcon, who, like usual, wouldn't leave Ari alone.

But there was another reason Ari had wanted to go himself. It was because of something that had been bothering him now for a while, and he thought that he just might get the chance to see if he could solve the problem now.

Even from such a far distance it was easy for him to spot the girl's house, but it was easy to tell that nobody was home. All of the lights were off and the car that was usually in the drive way was gone. But, hopeful that the girl he was looking for was somewhere in town, he stayed put and scanned the town under him, watching the people below carefully. After a few moments of scanning the roads, he found himself to be too high up to be able to spot Sam, and since it was growing dark the lighting wasn't helping. It was impossible to tell who was who.

He landed on the nearest building, unnoticed, and looked over the edge of it, continuing to scan the city. He frowned, and then backed away from the edge. If he flew around, looking for her, then he'd get seen. It wasn't like being noticed by these humans would matter to him, but he was in a bad mood and didn't feel like causing a scene. But then, looking over to the building that stood next to the one he stood on top of, a strange idea popped into his head.

He suddenly sprinted to the side, and leapt off the building to the next, scanning the area around him as he was in the air. And, sharp, quick, and quiet, he landed easily on the next building. It was less likely that he'd be noticed this way, and he'd be able to get a closer view of the town.

And Ari continued swiftly leaping from building to building, in search of Sam.

* * *

><p>Sam padded down the street, clutching her jacket around her. She had felt a little daring and decided to walk around the town for a little while. She hadn't done so previously because of Ari, and even though she had been living in Caperun for around 4 monthes she still didn't know the town well. Of course, she was still a little weary about being by herself, but she figured that she didn't have anything to loose now that Ari was out of the picture.<p>

The girl had not seen Matt for a couple of hours. Even though it was pretty cold out, Matt and Justin had gone with some of their friends from school to the baseball field in the park. They wanted to practice for tryouts for spring baseball. Sam was invited to go too, but she didn't want to watch or play. It wasn't like she knew anything about the sport, anyway. And besides, Matt probably needed his space. It most likely wasn't exactly thrilling for Matt for her to be so clingy with him all the time, and she didn't want him to dislike her because of that. She was aware that she was quickly becoming very attatched to Matt, and she was afraid that she wasn't minding her place.

But, looking towards the sky, the girl realized that it was starting to get quite dark. And suddenly all the bravery she had felt to venture out of the house had vanished. She was barely able to bring herself to come outside during the day, let alone at night. And, angrily repeating to herself in her head that she was pathetic, she decided to head home. Matt would be home soon, too, anyway, and he'd probably be worried if she wasn't there.

But as she looked towards the direction of Matt's house, suddenly something caught her eye. There was there was something _leaping_ from roof-top to roof-top. At first she thought it was a bird or maybe a cat because of how far down the block it was, but as the figure drew closer and closer to her it became clear that it was big. It was a _person_.

Sam swallowed hard and she could have sworn her heart stopped beating in that instant. Was it... him again?

She stared, frozen, in the middle of the sidewalk, as the person slowly grew larger and larger as whoever it was continued to come closer. Sam suddenly took a step backwards, and then another, still staring. This was not good.

And then she suddenly felt that all too-familiar chill run down the length of her spine. She now had no doubt in her mind that whatever it was, it was dangerous, and she knew that she had been seen. This was _definitely_not good. And in an instant Sam was shooting down the sidewalk in the opposite direction.

After running for only a little while, Sam looked back and nearly had a heart attack. The person- yes, it was definitely a person; Sam was now positive - was only a few buildings behind her. How could he be so fast!

Clamping her teeth together, Sam urged her body to move faster. She couldn't run forever, she knew this very well, but she absolutely didn't want to get caught. She didn't want to deal with any sort of confrontation, not again. But it was easy to tell that if she kept running at top speed like this she'd break down from exhaustion soon enough.

Sam, beginning to lose her energy, glanced back at the person, who was now on the buildings right above her. She watched him as he leapt to the next building, but then suddenly, in the mid-air, the person vanished. The girl's mouth fell open, and she skidded to a halt.

Frantic, Sam looked around in all directions. That person wasn't gone: she could still feel him watching. Her breathing was loud and ridgid, and she was having a hard time keeping her body still. She was being played with and she knew it all too well.

The girl scowled. /iTurn around and get back home/i, that's what she had to do. This was the only thing her mind was able to process. And she began to run back. She just needed to get home, and everything would be alright.

But then Sam saw something jump at her from the corner of her eye, and before the girl got a chance to get a good look at it, the thing took firm hold of her neck, and she was pulled into the blackness of alley that she had been running in front of.

It was suddenly dark, and the only thing Sam knew was that there was something that felt a lot like an arm around her neck, and her back was up against something. And the contact with it burned. The throbbing sensation was once again on fire in her veins, and so it was easy to assume that the person who had her in grasp was the very person she had hoped to never see again. The girl blinked rapidly, trying to adjust her eyes to the sudden darkness of the alley. She then looked up, and upon seeing a head looking back down at her, she jumped and then opened her mouth to scream. But as soon as she did so, a hand pressed hard against her mouth, pushing the back of her head into the body behind her.

The girl was shaking, now, staring up at the face or Ari. She probably wouldn't have been able to identify him as easily if it wasn't for the strange feeling that he gave her whenever he was near, or the small beam of light from the top of the alley that cast across one of his unmistakable golden eyes and part of his face. And he was sneering. "Long time no see, huh?"

Sam tried to jump away, thrashing and squealing as loud as she could in place of screaming, but Ari roughly yanked her back into place. Shaking even more, Sam tried to still herself. She had not forgotten how rough Ari had been, but she had forgotten how weak she was compared to him. The boy then unraveled the arm that had been around her neck, and put his hand on top of her head, almost petting her. "I won't hurt you, _Sam_," he whispered into her hair. But the way he spoke was cynical, and the way he said her name sent a shudder to ripple down the girl's spine. "I'll let go of your mouth if you promise not to scream."

Sam didn't respond, but Ari let go of her mouth anyway. Sam tried to jump away again, but Ari's hands gently but firmly fell down to the girl's upper arms and he guided her body around so that she was facing him. He did not release her arms.

The girl- still shaking, eyes wide- did not make eye contact with him. She could feel his eyes gazing down at her face, but she focused on the collar of his shirt instead. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes.

"Come on. After this all the time I took to find you, you won't even look at me? You're harsh."

Sam swallowed hard. "Let go of me," she lightly said, in fear of provoking him. Her eyes, quivering, dared to look at his face for only a quick moment before her fear got the best of her. "_Please_."

Ari sighed watcher her silently for a moment. "Alright." He began to walk towards her, and, in an attempt to keep the space between them as wide as she possibly could, Sam began to stumble backwards. But then she found her back against the wall of one of the buildings of the alley, and she squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for anything. But, instead, he let go of her arms. Sam cautiously opened her eyes, and blinked up at him. She immediately looked towards the exit of the alley for an escape, but she realized that because she was against the wall and because Ari was so close, escape was impossible.

Noticing where Sam's eyes had drifted, the boy put his palm on the wall, obscuring her view. And, left with no where else to look, Sam turned her eyes, wide and fearful, up to Ari. "I did not come here today to fight you." He paused, taking in Sam's reaction. "I came for a compromise."

Sam blinked up at him. She said nothing, but upon seeing that he had the girl's attention, Ari continued. "While I was gone for the past couple of months I was home. And they decided that instead of handing you over to the government, I'm to take you back home so that we can take all of your energy instead of the half that the government promised for your return."

For a moment Sam didn't say anything. She forgot how to speak words for a second. Bracing her body out of habit, she asked. "What? My energy?"

Ari laughed quietly. "Yes Sam, we're after all that energy your tiny, tiny body contains." As he spoke, he gently brushed his finger below Sam's neck, and Sam forgot to breathe for a moment. "That was the deal we made: If I brought you back to the government, they'd give my people half of that energy."

Sam's head turned away in detestment. She was nothing more than a prize to these people, was she? And when she spoke, her anger and frustration was obvious. "Why do you even need it?"

"My people are trying to live on a planet that simply isn't made to be lived on. While it has all the conditions we need to live, my people are practically living in the wilderness and on unsuitable grounds and we're barely getting by. And on top of that, the planet's dying. If we harness your energy we could finally be able to make a living. That's the reason I came here. If I get your energy back home, we can fix everything, you know?"

The girl watched him intently. "I'm not going to let you bring be anywhere, if that's what this _compromise_is all about."

Ari gave her a playful frown. Aw, no, Sam. You won't let me take you home?"

Sam's eyebrows furrowed together. "You're crazy after all if you think I'd ever go with you." Sam paused before continuing. "And besides, didn't you want your _challenge_from me? You're backing out. " What was she saying? Was it just anything that popped in her head to stall him? To make him forget what he had come to do? It was probably stupid to remind him of it, but she was hoping that this guy had a lot of pride and would get angry at the mention him backing out. She didn't know why, but she believed that this was the best way to stall him.

But he did not get angry at all. "No, no, I'm not. Sure this little game I've got going on with you is fun and all, but," his fingers brushed against her face. "I'm trying to be reasonable. As much as I want to, I don't exactly have a lot of time. They'll kill me and stuff me for sure if I stall this for much longer." His hand fell from Sam's face, to the back of her neck in a quick and firm caress, and then fell back onto the wall that the girl was leaning against, giving her a greater sense that she had no way out. "Think about it. The government will kill you if you go back to them. And if I don't take you to them, they'll come after you themselves I'm sure. My people might be falling apart, but we have the technology to be able to take that energy from you without killing you."

Sam watched the boy in front of her skeptically. His size seemed to swallow her whole. "You're lying to me. Just to get me to cooperate."

"Never," he said. But the amused grin on his face told the girl otherwise.

"Why bother keeping me alive after you get what you want, then?" Sam asked just for the heck of it, the emotion beginning to dull within her. "It'd be much easier to bring back a body that wouldn't fight you."

Ari laughed. "I'm sure my people could care less about what happens to you, but I kinda feel sorry for you." He paused for a moment to be sure she understood what he was saying. "And fighting you somehow makes me feel like the biggest hypocrite in the world. I wouldn't exactly question it if I were you."

But the girl only scoffed at his words. "I don't need your _pity_. Why do you even care?"

"These past couple months I was thinking the whole situation over and I realized that I can relate to you very, very well." To the girl, paranoid about everything that was Ari, each sympathetic word sounded constructed of nothing but lies. "I know all too well what it's like to have people want to kill you, and I know very well what it's like to be forced to do something you don't want to do."

Sam faltered. She was looking into his eyes, searching for some hint that he was lying to her, but she found none. But she would not believe him anyway. Still trembling, she said, "Like I'd ever-"

But suddenly Ari's face was a little too close for Sam's comfort, and Sam's eyes widened and she stopped speaking. "I don't plan on leaving you alone. I won't go away without taking you with me. Don't be stupid."

Sam put her hands on Ari's shoulders and pushed him back. "Don't just stand there and threaten me! I'm not going anywhere!"

"I'm not threatening you, I'm trying to persuade you." Ari the amusement in his eyes vanished now, and they were no longer teasing, but sharp and cold. And Sam suddenly remembered just how small she was in his grasp. "I'm offering you away out. You just need to trust me a little."

At his last words, Sam's her face twisted into a scowl. "_Trust you?_ You're asking me to trust you? Who in their right mind would trust you! You tried to kill me! You tried to kill _Matt_! I was thrilled when you stopped showing up! Why the hell would I ever want to go to your planet where are hundreds of other psycotic crack-heads _just like you!_"

Ari stared at her for a moment, but then looked down and sighed. He dropped his hands from the wall, backed up from Sam and pressed down on his forehead with one of them. Her yelling was giving him a headache. Convincing her would be a lot harder then he thought.

His sharp eyes flashed up to meet Sam's and she flinched and cringed the moment her eyes met his. He suddenly jabbed the stone on her neck, and Sam's hand flew up to protect it from him. "See this rock? It's a collar. This thing means that the government owns you completely; that you're their property. They can do anything they want to you and get away with it, no matter how inhumane they may act towards you. And right now I'm the only one that can help you get away from them. Because if I don't bring you to them, soon enough they'll come knocking at your door and then you'll really be in for it, just you wait and see. You certainly can't save yourself, and that Matt kid definitely can't. I don't want to fight you, but if I have no other choice than I won't hesitate to. You just need to trust me and you might get out of this alive."

But Sam was scowling before he even finished talking. "I might not be that strong," she said, her voice now and scratchy. "but you don't have a say in any thing I do!" And in the next instant, Sam's body was once again acting on its own. She fiercly struggled to push away from Ari, but he easily grabbed onto her arms. Trying to calm her down, he pushed her back against the wall, growling, "/iHey, Sam/i-" But suddenly Sam was surrounded in the same blinding light as she had the last time they met, and Ari fell back.

Sam was surprisingly relieved that she was going to grow her wings, even though she'd told herself over and over again that she was never going to let herself turn into a bird again. She'd be able to escape now. She waited for the sharp tugging on her back that she should have felt but was taken completely off guard when she felt the tugging not on her back, but inside her head and at her lower back. She grasped onto her pounding head, and she opened her mouth to scream but found she could not utter a sound. Something must have gone wrong! Something was…!

But then the light faded and the pain disappeared in an instant. The girl, still clutching onto her head, blinked her eyes open. She looked down at herself and her mouth fell open. "T-this… isn't…?"

She was not in the white outfit she had expected, but rather in a soft-yellow strapless outfit that was not a dress, but instead had shorts as a bottom. It was trimmed in a deep red, and had a small black bow in the center of the trimming over her chest. She was wearing sandals that wrapped themselves around her ankles, and, once she dropped her hands from her face, Sam say that she was wearing two red gloves that consisted of black bows which secured the gloves around her wrists.

She was not a bird this time. The girl slowly reached up to her head and, where only her ears should have been, she instead felt two long, velvet ears that pointed towards the sly. Her eyes widened a little more and she twisted her body to get a better view of her lower back where she had also felt pain, and gasped when she saw that she had a _tail_. She had god-forsaken _tail_. A long, sand-colored, _tail_.

She looked back up at Ari, who was still taking in her appearance. "Kangaroo," he stated, confirming that this was the animal that Sam had changed into. "How strange." Remembering what Mr. Bergs had told him- this being her most aggressive form and the form that enabled her to manipulate fire, the boy made a mental note to be a little careful.

"I'm not just a bird?" Sam breathed, in shock, grabbing onto her tail, as it to make sure it was real. When she tugged on it and felt pain, she thought that she was actually going to faint.

Ari laughed, and the sudden sound caused Sam to jump. "Of course not! You wouldn't be so valuable otherwise."

Sam narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists. She had to get out of the alley and away from Ari, but what could she do as a kangaroo? What did kangaroos even do? They didn't do anything at all except... _jump_.

Clinging onto the idea, Sam bent her knees a little. The word 'jump' now echoed in her head, as something in the back of her head was telling her what to do. But Ari noticed the movement and reached out his hand towards her. "Don't-" But suddenly the girl fell towards the ground and in an instant sprang herself back up again and she leapt towards the sky.

She had onlt meant to jump over him. But Sam continued to rocket skyward like a bullet and proceeded to reach the height of the three story building. And, to both her and Ari's complete surprise, she pushed her body forward onto the rooftop, disappearing from Ari's sight.

Cursing quietly to himself, Ari rose towards the roof after her. By the time Ari reached the roof of the building, Sam was on the other side of the roof. She wasn't facing him, but when he landed, the girl glanced back at him with a horrific look on her face. "_You can fly?_"

It took Ari a moment to realize that he had never flown in front of her before. He grinned. "Oh, yes. Flying is one of my many amazing qualities."

But Sam turned, scowling at his comment, and she started for edge of the roof, dwelling on the sickening thought that there might actually be nothing that this guy couldn't do. Before Ari could call out to her, the girl suddenly picked up speed, slapped her hands on the edge of the roof, and catapulted herself into the air. Ari watched her, surprised, as she sailed through the air all the way to the roof of the next building, and continued to jump to the next. The boy shook his head after a moment, not expecting her to have been able to jump that far, and he then flew after her. But Sam was surprisingly quick and she was able to keep her distance.

But before Sam knew it, she was running out of buildings to jump on because the park was coming up, and she skidded to a halt at the center of the roof. There was only one more building left for her to jump on and if she wanted to get away from Ari, it was painfully obvious that she only had two options. She'd ether have to fight him off- which she knew would not go over well- or she'd have to run away on the streets or through the park and risk getting seen by the people below.

Sam remembered that she didn't exactly have the time to think about this for long and when she turned around to look for Ari, he was just landing on the other side of the roof she was on. Her eyes widened and in her desperation to get away from him, she began to run towards the edge again.

Frowning, Ari decided that enough was enough. It was pointless to continuiously chase her around the town like this. He suddenly disappeared from his spot on the roof and reappeared right behind the girl just as she leapt off the buildng. He took firm hold of her wrist, intending to pull her back down to the roof. But by suddenly grabbing onto her, Sam's body involuntarily spun and Ari's grip on her slipped. And the next thing both he and Sam knew was that the girl was falling towards the pavement below. And, for reasons beyond Sam, her body froze at the sensation of falling and her mind was suddenly dry, and she found herself unable to do anything as she fell.

The boy was not thinking as he dove off the roof after the girl. He grabbed her hand and swiftly yanked her up into his grasp. He threw his arms around her and, holding her securely against him, he turned his body over and easily landed on the ground in a squat, with the now trembling Sam laying limp in his arms.

Ari said nothing. The boy only looked down at her, and his eyebrows furrowed together after a moment. He hoisted her up a little, and opened his mouth to say something. But he suddenly scoffed and dropped Sam on the pavement.

"Disappointing," he stated, staring at Sam, who, at the moment, was lying on the ground. Her heart was pounding so heavily against her chest that she could have sworn Ari could hear it. "For you to get so shaken up over falling off a building of all things is," he paused, and looked around. He watched the opening of the alley and saw that nobody walking by noticed them, much less could see them in the dark. "very, very disappointing," he finished.

The girl pushed herself up and staggered against the wall of the building, still shaking. Then, without looking at Ari, and forgetting that she could be seen by anyone, Sam sprinted out of the alley into the streets towards the park.

It took her only a moment to reach the park. It seemed as though luck was on her side for the moment. It was dark, and even if anybody did see her, she wouldn't have looked like anything more that some dark annonymous figure in the night. Once she found herself safely surrounded by park's trees, she sank to the ground, grasping one of the trees as hard as she could, as if it would somehow keep Sam from becoming loosing it. Her body would not stop shaking. It wasn't just the fall that she had taken only moments ago that had sent her entire body trembling, it was the fact that the fall had opened Sam's eyes to just how dangerous this entire thing was. It was almost like, whenever her life started to felt like a dream, where nothing could really happen to her, something would so suddenly shake that delusion and remind Sam that she could die at any moment. How could her life feel so fake and be so deangerous at the same time? She tried to tell herself that she was alright, and that she was safe for now, but she knew that she didn't have much time before Ari would find her and force her to run again. Like some sort of life or death game of cat and mouse.

But then suddenly Ari was in front of her, and before Sam could do anything, Ari slammed his hands against the tree, trapping her. His eyes were cold again, and they were piercing through her. His smile was cruel and mocking. "I'm hurt. I just saved you and you run away from me without a thank you?"

The girl's face scrunched together in sudden anger. "_Who do you think you are?_" she hissed quietly, trying to shake him off. "_Get away from me!_"

Suddenly, she was once again surrounded in a bright light. This light, however, was not white but rather a deep gold. And this light _burned_. Ari immediately flung himself back in attempt to get away from the searing heat. Once he got far enough so the heat could not reach him, he realized that Sam was not surrounded in merely a light, but she was surrounded by _fire_.

"_Just get the hell out of here_," she hissed, holding her hands towards him. And the flames that surrounded her began to lick and coil up her arms and gather in the palms of her hands. And the next thing Ari knew was that the fire was suddenly leaping towards him.

The fire obscured her vision and for a moment Sam could not see anything in front of her except for the flames, and, despite the stregnth she found within herself to protect herself, she realized that she was scaring herself. And, so, trembling, she dropped her arms and willed for the fire to die. The fire disappeared and she could once again see, but Ari was no longer there.


	7. Take It Up a Notch

_*****Author's note: I just wanted to thank the people who wrote such lovely reviews for me! I'm not many hits on this site, but comments like those honestly just make everything worth it. It means so much to me that you like my story and I really hope I can keep you interested!**___

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><p><strong><span>REVIEW<span>**

"Who do you think you are?" she hissed quietly, trying to shake him off. "Get away from me!"

Suddenly, she was once again surrounded in a bright light. This light, however, was not white but rather a deep gold. And this light burned. Ari immediately flung himself back in attempt to get away from the searing heat. Once he got far enough so the heat could not reach him, he realized that Sam was not surrounded in merely a light, but she was surrounded by fire.

"Just get the hell out of here," she hissed, holding her hands towards him. And the flames that surrounded her began to lick and coil up her arms and gather in the palms of her hands. And the next thing Ari knew was that the fire was suddenly leaping towards him.

The fire obscured her vision and for a moment Sam could not see anything in front of her but the flames, and, despite the stregnth she found within herself, she was scaring herself. And, so, trembling, she dropped her arms and willed for the fire to die. The fire disappeared and she could once again see, but Ari was no longer there.

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><p>Sam didn't quite know where to focus her attention. Matt wouldn't even look her in the eyes and the tension in the room was starting to make her skin crawl. She wanted to do something to make the situation better but she could not think of anything to say that would justify herself against Matt's accusations.<p>

The boy, who was at the moment wrapping up a wound on her upper arm, glanced up at the girl with a slight scowl. But then he looked down again and continued to focus on the girl's injuries. "Do you understand what I'm so angry?" When Sam didn't respond, Matt pulled the band around Sam's arm tightly and Sam winced. "Answer me."

When Sam had finally found her way home after being chased all over town by Ari, she had tried to take care of her beaten-up body herself (she had been shocked to find her body covered in bruises and scrapes when she finally took notice of herself). But then Matt came home, and when he saw her condition he nearly had a heart attack. And after recovering from the shock of seeing Sam so injured, he immediately became furious that Sam hadn't even tried to contact him. And it was then that Matt took her to the bathroom to see to her wounds, and find out just what had happened.

Sam still did not answer him, and Matt was starting to growl out of frustration. "You should have run from that bastard. He could easily kill you! What in hell possessed you to make you try to fight him off? _Do you even realize how stupid that was_-"

"_I did run!_!" shouted Sam suddenly. It was the first thing Sam had said since Matt came home, and it kind of surprised him. "I ran and ran but he kept following me …! And I couldn't get away…! And before I knew it I had bruises all over my body and I don't even remember getting them! I didn't fight him; I didn't try to fight- I don't even _know_ how to fight! I don't know what I'm doing at all!" Her eyes were suddenly glassy, although her face looked more furious than upset, and Matt fell back. He didn't mean to work her up- he knew very well that was the last thing the girl needed- he was just trying to get his point across. "It's like he's everywhere, Matt…"

Matt faltered, and gave up. It was no use staying mad at her when none of his was her fault in the first place. He lightly placed his hand on her back. It was hard to understand what Sam was feeling, and if she vented to him what exactly was going through her head maybe he could understand her better. "Keep going."

Sam's face pinched as she tried to contain herself. "It's just… everything was going so well, and then he showed up again and immediately this happens. He's ruining everything." And it seemed like this was all she had to say about that. But she unexpectedly opened her mouth again. "And… I do understand why you're angry with me. But I can't agree with you."

Matt watched her for a moment, before sitting on the edge of the bathtub next to Sam. Suddenly feeling very tired, he propped his head in his hands. "Jeez… I really don't get you, Sam. You know that I just want to help you but you won't even let me do that."

"I do know that. You already have." Her expression was once again apathetic. "You already have."

The boy snorted. "But what you don't seem to get is that I need you to let me be more involved with what's going on. If I'm involved I can protect you-"

"But by keeping you from getting any more involved, I'm protecting _you_."

Matt looked down and silently combed his fingers through his bangs, and let out a heavy breath. At least he finally knew just what exactly Sam had been thinking. "Ah… It seems like we're both trying to watch each other's backs, doesn't it?"

Sam looked down and, like Matt expected, she didn't respond.

"Listen though…" continued Matt, "stop trying to shoulder everything by yourself. I know you're scared, but you don't have to do this alone. I mean… we're friends." Matt reached for her hand and clasped it in his, with his other hand still securely pressing onto her back. "And friends look out for each other."

Sam was watching Matt carefully. "I know-"

"It's not just a one way thing," said Matt, thoughtfully. "I got your back just like you have mine. So-"

"I'm home!" suddenly echoed a voice from downstairs, making both Sam and Matt jump. It was Matt's mom. "Kids! Sorry it's so late! You guys hungry? I'm making chicken!"

Matt blinked at Sam for a moment. Of course his mom would show up at exactly the wrong time, just when he was finally getting through to Sam. But pushing these thoughts aside, Matt looked at Sam. The girl was obviously hungry, but his mom couldn't see Sam like this. "Uh… I'll go grab you something, alright? Just hide out in your room for now and, whatever you do, don't let my mom see you."

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><p>Matt critically paced around the girl, with one hand over his mouth, scanning her over.<p>

"How it is…?" Sam started.

Matt nodded. "I think you're good. You look completely healed for the most part." Sam had been hiding around home for the past four days. She hadn't showed up for school since Tuesday. "Are you sure you want to go?"

Sam looked down at herself. "No. I don't think I do. But Robin asked me to come, so-"

"Just because she asked you doesn't mean you have to. I mean, you can hang out with her once you heal a little more and you'll see her in school Monday anyway-"

"But she's my friend," said Sam, looking sure of what she was saying. "She's my friend. And I want to see her too."

Matt nodded, but looked expectant. "I get it. You're just going to be at the park, right?"

"Yes."

"Good. That's a public place so I think it'll be alright. And what are you going to do if anything happens?"

Sam sighed. "If… if anything happens, I'll go home."

"And…?"

Sam paused. "And I'll call you."

"Good girl." The boy reached forward and tugged slightly on the baggy sweatshirt that the girl was wearing, making sure that it covered every last scratch on her arms. It was his, but because the once-huge gashes on her arms hadn't completely healed yet and were nasty scabs, he let her borrow it to cover them. "Don't take this off." Matt backed off and looked at her. "And just so you know, I think that Justin and I are just going to be hanging out around the house today so if you need anything else you know where we are. Okay, I guess you can go now."

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><p>"So where've you been for the past few days, anyway?" asked Robin, yawning. It was getting late, and she and Sam had already been at the park for a while. At the moment the two girls were sitting on a park bench, talking. "You just sort of disappeared."<p>

Sam watched Robin for a moment. "Sorry," she said slowly. "I was a little sick-"

"A little?" asked Robin, glancing at Sam. "You hadn't been in school since Tuesday, and when I tried to call you Matt said you were too sick to even-"

"I know, I know," Sam sighed. "It doesn't matter anymore, anyway. I'm all better now."

Robin watched Sam for a moment, and then looked back up at the sky. "Well at least you're better. It'd be a problem if you died before you got the chance to make any friends other than me." And the girl laughed a little.

Sam gave Robin a weak smile. Although Robin was only joking, Sam knew that Robin was right. Other than Robin, Matt and Justin were her only friends. However making friends hadn't exactly been the first thing on her to-do list. All Sam had been concerned about was keeping her distance from everybody so nobody else would get involved.

Suddenly Sam felt Robin tap on her head with her fist and she jumped. "What's with that serious expression?" asked Robin. "It was just a joke."

"I know, I was just thinking."

"About?"

Sam paused. "I'm glad I ended up here."

Robin blinked at the girl beside her and stretched her arms out. "Why? This is Caperun, for crying out loud. Nothing exciting ever happens here," the girl paused. "And I wouldn't have guessed. You look so miserable all of the time, no offense."

For a moment Sam got the sickening feeling that Robin was only hanging out with her out of pity, but she immediately tossed the thought away. Even if that was true, Sam couldn't afford to think like that. "No," Sam said, choking a little. "I'm just…" But Sam suddenly cut herself off as a sudden shudder shot down her spine like an earthquake. Her eyes went wide, and she sat up immediately. Ari was there.

Robin blinked up at Sam tiredly. "What's wrong?" she asked, although the tone she used made it clear to Sam that Robin was hardly interested.

"I-I just remembered that I have to go home," Sam said, stuttering over her words, trying to come up with . "M-Matt said that-"

"But isn't he with Justin now?" Robin asked, a little suspicious. "You told me that when you came here. Why would he need you?"

Sam paused for a moment, but continued to inch off the bench. "Uh, y-yeah, b-but…"

"Can't you at least walk home with me or something before you-"

"I'm really sorry! But it's important and I have to go home now!" And Sam spun around and started to run across the park towards Matt's house.

"_Bye to you too, Sam! Can't wait to hang out again_." Robin called after her, furious and dripping with sarcasm. The girl's words stung Sam, and she stopped in her tracks. She did not turn around to face Robin, but Robin continued anyway. "Listen, Matt said you could really use a friend! And I get that! You're new and you don't know anybody and so I figured I'd give you a try! I really want to be friends with you but if you keep hiding whatever your hiding from me and if you keep disappearing out of the blue like this all the time I don't see how it'll work!"

Every word was like a slap across the face for Sam. She rubbed her hand across her face and into her hair, she turned back towards where Robin. "I really don't mean to-"

But Sam froze her hand flew to her mouth. Because, standing right behind the bench that the unaware Robin was sitting on was Ari, and he was standing behind the human waving back to Sam, grinning, and one of his blades was drawn.

Sam's blood went cold and her knees suddenly threatened to cave in on her. After a moment, Sam choked out. "I-I mean, let's go home now, together. I just d-don't feel well. Come on, Robin, let's go home now."

But Robin gave Sam a critical stare. But then she followed Sam's gave and turned around and nearly had a heart attack herself once she saw Ari standing directly behind her. She jumped off the bench with a gasp and backed away towards Sam. She grabbed onto Sam. "W-who are you?"

"My name's Ari," he said gently, smoothly, as he rounded the bench and stepped towards the two girls. "It's nice to meet you," and he held out his hand in the same fashion as when he and Sam first met. As he did, Sam took notice that Ari had tucked his blade in the waistband of his pants, as did Robin. She let out a sharp gasp as she jumped back, bumping into Sam.

Ari dropped his hand and snorted. "That's hardly the proper way to greet someone."

Robin faltered. "W-what do you want? We don't have any money if that's what you're looking for-"

"I'm not interested with your money," he said, as he stepped forward. Robin gasped and ducked her head as he came closer, but instead of touching her, he rounded her and stopped beside Sam, sliding his arm around her shoulders. "I just came to pick up my friend Sam, here."

Robin faltered, and fell back away from them. "You know each other?" she breathed.

"Sam's my girl!" said Ari, pulling her closer, ignoring her weak protests. She was now standing in front of him, trembling, and Ari had both his hands on her shoulders keeping her in place. "I only came here to continue playing a little game we started. That's all."

Sam's eyes went wide. "_Stop_-".

"Do you think you're friend wants to play, too?"

"_She has nothing to do with this_," Sam quietly hissed.

Ari was now applying gentle pressure onto her shoulders and to the base of her neck, massaging her. The harder he pressed, the hotter the strange pulse that set off whenever he was near throbbed. "I guess you're right. I mean… the game would end rather quickly for her anyway, don't you think?" He said this lightly, but his message was clear.

The three were quiet for a moment, and the only movement among them was Ari's hands as they continued to work themselves on the Sam's neck.

Sam tried to swallow but almost choked and found she couldn't. "Robin, its dark and you should go home now. T-this guy's just playing around with you, he doesn't mean anything he just said. Right, Ari?"

Ari grinned down at Sam. "`Course, sweetheart."

Sam watched Robin's face for a moment, hoping that Robin would take the bait and leave. She put on her most convincing face and continued, "I'll see you Monday, okay-"

But suddenly Robin reached for her pocket with a snarl and grabbed her phone. "Don't take me for an idiot. If you don't let my friend go I'll call the and they'll arrest your sorry ass before you can even-"

But Ari was suddenly laughing. "It looks like she wants to play after all!" And suddenly Ari's arm slid around Sam's neck, locking her to his chest, and with his free hand he grabbed onto his blade and pulled it out.

"Don't you _dare_ hurt Sam!" she shrieked. She looked around with the intent to call out for help, but gasped when she found the park to be empty. She held the phone higher.

"This," said Ari. "is not meant for Sam. She's going to keep playing with me till the very end. But you and the boy Matt, on the other hand, are extra players and to be honest, the game board is starting to get a little too crowded."

Sam was surrounded in a bright light in an instant, and Ari let go of her and stepped back. Robin fell back, blindly screaming over and over, "_What did you do to her_?"

But then the light faded and Robin's screams fell silent. The terrified girl only caught a shocked glimpse of Sam- only able to catch a quick glance of the strange white she was suddenly in- before Sam threw herself at her. Robin felt Sam's arms grab onto her and lift her up, and in an instant she was on Sam's back and Robin mindlessly held onto Sam's neck. She felt Sam jump off the ground beneath her, and it was suddenly very, very windy.

It took Robin a moment to realize that she had closed her eyes, but when she finally opened them she thought she was dreaming. She was on Sam's back, and she found herself staring _down_ at the trees of the park.

"Sam…?" she breathed into the girl's flapping hair. Sam did not respond. "What's going…?"

But then she looked to her left and nearly fainted. There was a giant, white wing beside her, and there was one to her left as well. _And they belonged to Sam_. And before she knew it she was screaming. Suddenly feeling lightheaded, Robin's grip around Sam's neck loosened and her arms fell limp. Gasping, Sam grabbed onto Robin's arms, and held them in place around her. "_Don't let go, are you crazy_?"

"Yes, I think I might be." Her voice was sharp and scratchy, and the panic in her tone made Sam wince. When she spoke next her voice was nothing more than a whisper. "You have wings."

Sam's body felt numb all over, and her mind was blank. Her hopes of Robin understanding her shattered. "I'm going to get you home. It doesn't look like he followed so-"

"We're going to your friend's house now?" asked Ari, suddenly directly beside them.

Sam gasped and Robin screamed. Robin's body twisted to the side out of surprise and Sam nearly lost her grip on her. Letting out a sharp gasp, Sam froze in the air and hoisted Robin up again. As she adjusted her shaking friend, Sam looked at Ari with a furious expression. "_This isn't funny_!" she hissed. "_Please! She has nothing to do with this_."

Ari hovered closer to her. "Are you stupid?" he asked. It was a simple question but his tone made Sam fall closer to the trees below just a little. "I thought that I made it crystal clear that anybody involved with you is involved with me."

Sam fell back and clenched her teeth. The disagreement she and Matt had earlier that day regarding getting herself involved with others was flashing through her mind like it happened only a moment ago. "You know what Ari... I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to keep me feeling hopeless. You're going to threaten and hurt anyone that I get close to keep me as weak as possible and to make it so that I have nobody to turn to but you."

Ari watched her calmly. He looked amused, and this only worked Sam up more. "Is that so?"

"Why are you going that far?" Sam's voice was sharp and she was doing her best to make it seem like she wasn't afraid and that she was ready for anything that Ari could throw at her. But she was scared and she was starting to get very, very tired and keeping her composure was starting to become difficult. Trying to hover in one spot was tiring enough, but with Robin's extra weight it was even harder. She could probably handle soaring with Robin, but staying in one place and flapping her wings over and over again was seriously draining her energy. "_Why_?

Ari was very close now. He bent down so that his face was level with hers. His voice was quiet but menacing and the way he spoke made Sam's blood run cold. "Because it's my job to bring you down by whatever means necessary."

Sam faltered. "_But to go that far is just_-"

"And to tell you the truth, I don't think I've nearly far enough. I've been going quite easy with you, don't you think?"

And that was all Sam could handle hearing before she snapped. She threw herself forward and suddenly Ari was a good distance behind her. She now knew that she couldn't take Robin to her own house anymore. She couldn't risk Ari knowing where her friend lived. But she had to get the girl somewhere safe fast before Ari got the chance to do anything more. And before Sam really thought it through, she found herself heading home.

It didn't take too long to find her way home despite it being so dark out. Sam swiftly landed in front of the house and dropped Robin from her back. To Sam's surprise, however, Robin's legs gave in on her and she sank to the ground. Sam stood beside her and watched the shocked face of her friend with the most sickening feeling in her chest for a moment before slowly reaching her hand down towards her. "Rob…in…?"

But Robin pushed Sam's hand away. "Don't… touch me," she breathed.

Sam fell back after that, bumping against the front door. She suddenly felt like everything around her was spinning out of control, and she suddenly felt like she was going to throw up. Sam knew that this would happen in the end. Matt was wrong. Getting involved with others was useless after all. She stepped closer to the girl in front of her in another effort to talk to her. "Robin..."

"_Just stay away from me!_" screamed Robin, slamming her hands down on the grass beneath her. And she started to cry.

Sam was in absolute shock, and she herself felt like at any moment she would collapse to the ground just like Robin. Every part of her body suddenly felt very cold, and she suddenly couldn't see anything except for Robin. This couldn't be happening…!

But then Sam vaguely heard shuffling from inside the house, and after a moment the door opened. Sam did not turn to look at who it was, but after a moment she heard Matt's voice ask, "Sam…?"

She turned towards Matt, her eyes stinging and her vision suddenly blurry. He had probably heard Robin scream and came to see what was going on. "Matt...!" And she reached her hand forward to feel him, to be comforted by him.

But suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder from behind, and Ari's voice was in her ear. "Boo."

And the next thing Sam knew was that he had hold of her wrist and he was suddenly flying skyward, dragging Sam behind him. Matt's desperate shouts of Sam's name followed them as Ari pulled her higher and higher above the house. Sam looked down just as Matt rushed forward and took hold of Robin, and as Justin rushed outside in confusion. And then Matt herded both Robin and Justin back inside and shut the door behind them.

Suddenly Ari stopped flying up and he flung Sam forward, and Sam only caught a glimpse of him hovering in front of her before she began to fall to the ground. He probably expected her to fly on her own, but she had no intention of doing that. Thanks to Robin, she now knew that it was pointless to keep this whole thing up. She's let herself fall and… this would all end fast.

"_Sam_," suddenly screamed a voice from below. The girl turned her head to the house below, only to see Matt's tiny body alone outside of the house again. "_What the hell are you doing? Fly!_"

Sam's wings were immediately out and in an instant she was no longer falling. Still looking down at the boy down below, it was suddenly clear just how stupid she was being. Robin might not have accepted her, but Matt was still there. She had to keep fighting for Matt, if no one else. And she suddenly believed with every fiber of her being that Matt alone was the sole person she needed, and he was the sole person that would always be there for her. For some strange reason he believed in her, and she couldn't let him down.

But then Matt suddenly screamed "_Look out_!" The girl's head jerked up just in time to see Ari diving towards her, with his blade held out in her direction. Sam shot herself backwards and just barely managed to miss the blade, but in an instant Ari, still shooting downwards, flung his arm out and the blade sliced against her upper thigh.

The blade moved so quickly against her skin that she barely even felt it. And so she when she screamed, it was not out of pain, but out of the fact that she had actually just literally been cut. And because of the fact that her leg was suddenly covered in red. She grabbed onto the wound, forgetting to fly for a moment but quickly catching herself, in a sad attempt to stop the sleeding. But when it didn't slow down even a little, she opened up her hands to see the damage and felt her head spin around when she saw just how deep the gash was. She brought one of her shaking hands out in front of her face, while the other remained on her wound, and saw that it was drenched in her own blood.

Sam looked down only to see Ari flying up towards her again. "Come on, _Sam_," he said sharply, closing in. "Where's that challenge you promised me?"

Sam threw herself up, keeping her distance from Ari as well as she could. She didn't have any weapons, and Ari was much stronger than she was, so no matter how she looked at the situation it seemed like Ari was going to win this time. He had never truly fought her before, and Sam had no clue how to protect herself.

But when Sam looked back and saw that Ari had fallen behind, she quickly realized that she had speed on her side. Maybe if she kept this long enough to exhaust Ari, she'd stand a chance..!

But suddenly Ari was beside her out of nowhere. "I won't be that easy!" And as he spoke he thrust his blade directly at Sam. Gasping, the girl tried to maneuver herself away from the blade but it sliced across her cheek. And, in a panic, Sam let herself fall to once again put some distance between her and Ari.

Ari immediately dove after her, grinning, with his blade once again pointed towards her. And Sam immediately knew that she had to get that thing away from Ari before he sliced her to pieces. Blindly, Sam reached upward towards Ari, who was closing in on her fast. While she had only meant to grab the blade and pull it from Ari's hand, instead she felt a strange pulling sensation at her fingers. And what happened next shocked her. A sharp wind suddenly escaped her hand and sliced directly between Ari's hand and his blade, and the blade was sent sailing away from him.

Sam opened her wings, catching herself from falling, and threw herself backwards, so Ari wouldn't crash into her. She finally managed to separate Ari from his blade! She brought her hands in front of her face, trying to figure out she had done what she had just done. But she glanced up at Ari just as his blade reappeared in his hand out of nowhere and her heart flipped in her thoat. Sam's mouth fell open. "You've got to be kidding me..!" she breathed.

But before Sam could linger on the thought any longer Ari was once again shooting towards her at an alarming speed. Sam only had a few seconds to think, and she knew that if what she was about to try didn't work then it was over for her. She now knew that wind was the only weapon she had against Ari, even though she didn't quite know how to make it work. She stretched her arms out in front of her, palms facing the still approaching Ari. And Just as Ari's blade would have touched her, Sam did a sort of strange thing. She willed for wind, and in the next instant a gust of air stopped Ari in his tracks and he was sent flying backwards.

And now it was Sam's turn to take her shot. Something strange came over her and she no longer felt like herself. She suddenly had the deepest desire to kill Ari, and she suddenly felt like she _could_. She was suddenly sailing towards Ari, with her arms ready to throw everything she had onto him.

Ari knew that this was not the same Sam that had been before him a moment ago. He was starting to see the same monster in her eyes that Bergs had described to him in the beginning of it all. Grinning madly, he took a stance. This was more like it.

As she closed in on him, Ari got a better look at her and nearly hesitated. No, it wasn't just the look in her eyes that Ari was, but the _color_. They were no longer blue, but the were a piercing gold instead. Was he seeing things? He didn't have much time to think about it. Because, while distracted by her eyes, Sam, still shooting towards him, threw her arm out and this time it was not a gust of wind that hit Ari, but a sliver of air that hit against him so fast and so hard that it acted like a knife and the wind actually put a gash in his arm. Surprised, but not at all disappointed, Ari moved to the side and, like he thought, Sam did not have enough control over herself to stop and so as she sailed by him. As she did was next to him, she threw her arm towards him in an attempt to pull off the same attack. But Ari knew that was coming and he teleported instantly so that he was above her, just barely avoiding the wind. And just as Sam twisted her neck to look at him he slammed his foot down hard against her upper back with such force that she was sent plummeting to the ground with a shriek.

The hard blow to her back disoriented her and immediately caused Sam to detransform in a bright flash against her will and her wings vanished. Horrified, Sam tried to transform again but found she couldn't no matter how hard she willed her body to change. She couldn't even _move_. She could hear Matt screaming below for her to snap out of it, but she couldn't even respond.

She was only yards away from crashing into the roof of the house below now. Just when she thought that this was really it, she suddenly she felt two arms grab onto her and she was suddenly still. Her first thought was that Matt had somehow saved her, but when she looked up and saw Ari her blood ran cold.

"It would be a problem for me if you died," said Ari. His face was sharp and fierce she no longer felt as strong and unstoppable as she had a moment ago. She was once again the small and weak Sam. "If you die, so does your energy. And we simply can't let that happen, can we?"

Sam said nothing. She only stared up at him in fear. Her back was hurting her terribly and she knew that if Ari did anything more, she wouldn't be able to do anything to stop him. But instead he said, "I'm done with you for today." And he moved towards the edge of the roof. Sam could see Matt standing there in horror, waiting to see what Ari was going to do next. Sam, wondering the same thing, felt herself begin to shake.

"I won't lie, you didn't let me down tonight. I gotta say I'm impressed," he said. His voice was a seductive purr in her ear, and his grip around her tightened. He lifted her up a little, and suddenly threw her into the air and off the roof. Sam only got a quick glance of him as he said with a wide grin, "I'll see you very soon." But in the next instant Sam found herself falling to the ground again. Just as she should have hit the floor, she fell into something soft and familiar, and then everything was still.

Sam was only able to register Matt underneath her, with his arms wrapped around her, lying on his back with a groan. But then everything around her went dark and she fell back onto the shocked Matt, with his name on her lips.


	8. Done For

**REVIEW**

I won't lie, you didn't let me down tonight. I gotta say I'm impressed," he said. His voice was a seductive purr in her ear, and his grip around her tightened. He lifted her up a little, and suddenly threw her into the air and off the roof. Sam only got a quick glance of him as he said with a wide grin, "I'll see you very soon." But in the next instant Sam found herself falling to the ground again. Just as she should have hit the floor, she fell into something soft and familiar, and then everything was still.

Sam was only able to register Matt underneath her, with his arms wrapped around her, lying on his back with a groan. But then everything around her went dark and she fell back onto the shocked Matt, with his name on her lips.

* * *

><p>Sam woke with a start and a sharp gasp. She frantically looked around but was surprised find herself in her own room and to only see Matt sitting beside her, looking alarmed. Breathing heavily and dampened in a thin sheet of sweat, Sam fell back down into her pillow, feeling incredibly heavy. She did not remember what exactly had happened or how she got there, but she couldn't find her voice to ask. She tried to shift but her back felt stiff and it seemed to take much too effort to move it. She gently reached up and touched her cheek where Ari had cut her and felt a bandage on it. Remembering the gash she had on her leg, she fearfully peered under the covers she was under and after a moment asked, "Matt, where are my pants?"<p>

Matt was looking away, with his brows lowered in stubborn defense. "I'm sorry," He muttered. He moved his hand to his face as if trying to hide the red that slowly crept across his face. "I had to get them off. So I could take care of your leg." He paused, still refusing to make eye contact and still focusing on the wall. "Don't take it the wrong way."

Sam switched her gaze from him to under the sheets again. Her jeans were gone and she was in her underwear, and she probably would have felt much more apprehensive about the situation if she didn't feel so numb all over. There was a bandage wrapped around her leg that was so tight and thick that she couldn't feel any part of her leg at all. But the numbness didn't bother her. In a way the tightness of it felt somewhat comforting. Her eyes flickered back to Matt, who had finally looked at her again. "Thank you."

Matt leaned closer to her from the wooden chair he was sitting on that he had brought in from the kitchen. "You know, you have the biggest bruise on your back I've ever seen," he said. "And I just changed the bandage on your leg again for the fifth time but the bleeding hardly stopped. I think you need stitches." He paused, trying to hoping that Sam would understand what he was implying. "And I'm afraid that he might have damaged the muscle. And I'm just not sure if you'll be able to heal alright on your own this time…"

Sam looked tired suddenly. "You want me to go to the doctor," her words were low and bitter. "No."

Matt was suddenly very close. "Can you even move it?" he angrily demanded.

The girl twitched her leg under the blanket and winced as a as a sudden bold of pain shot through her thigh. She looked back at Matt. "It hurts," she said honestly. "But yes."

Matt fell to the ground so that he was kneeling and he grabbed onto her shoulder. "If you don't go get help how are you even going to walk? You'll be in so much more pain if you don't-"

"I can't, it's not that bad-"

"Don't you dare lie to me, Sam." He was in her face. And when she didn't answer him, he snarled, "_Sam_-"

Suddenly something in her eye clicked and she jumped up a little. "Where's Robin?" she asked, suddenly looking alarmed.

Matt swallowed and the color in his cheeks drained. His previous aggression had suddenly dissolved. "I told her to go home."

The look in his face told Sam otherwise. And she asked, "And Justin?"

"Him too."

Sam watched the ceiling intently. "What did you tell them?"

The boy leaned back in the chair and looked up, uneasiness and obvious disturbance creeping over his face. "Nothing, really. I sent Robin home. And I had to tell Justin what was going on because he wouldn't leave if I didn't." He paused, looking strangely angry. "I didn't want to tell him. Nobody was supposed to find out about this."

Sam was taken so taken aback by the boy's last comment that she froze, and watched him in a manor of disbelief and confusion. She didn't quite know how to take that. But pushing that aside, she forced herself to ask, "That's all?"

"That's all."

Sam's eyes fell shut. "Now you're the one lying to _me_, Matt." She blinked at Matt and the boy flinched in her dull gaze. "Robin… she was very, very angry with me. There's no way she left just like that. What did she say?"

Matt got up and hung over Sam again. She looked so worn out that Matt almost imagined her to be an old rag doll. "She was just a little-"

"Scared. She was very scared of me." Sam finished as she sank further under her sheets. "She yelled at me."

Matt was shaking his head. "No, Sam, no…" he breathed, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. "She was just shocked, Sam. And it was Ari that scared her, not-"

She suddenly looked angry. "_You didn't see her face, Matt_."

The boy flinched and after a moment of watching her he bent down and scooped her up into his arms. "She… she _was_ upset," he breathed into her hair. He felt her arms lightly wrap around him and after a moment he continued, "But she told me that she needed time. She said to give her time and she'd cool down. She said she'd be alright very soon, so don't worry."

Sam breaths were hitched and it was clear to Matt that she was much more concerned about Robin than her own state. She was almost crying all over again. "Really?"

_No_. "Of course, Sam, of course. She won't hold this on you."

Sam fell onto her pillow, relieved. "I'm glad," she said, although her expression told Matt otherwise. "I was so scared. I thought that she'd hate me for putting her through something like that. I'm so glad…" And she stopped talking after that and she fell still.

Matt watched her for a while longer until he was sure she was asleep. Sighing, he pushed himself up and trudged out of the room. He felt alarmingly numb, and some part of him believed that it was the guilt that was making him so heavy. That whole thing he had told her was a lie, of course, and he'd bended the truth quite a bit. Robin was more than upset, she was furious. And Matt didn't send her home but rather she ran off in a panic as soon as Matt brought Sam back inside after her fight with Ari. And when Matt had called after her and begged for her to stay for Sam's sake, Robin made it clear that she didn't want to hear any of it. Robin's reaction was so truly hysterical that Matt could hardly believe it himself, though he saw it with his own eyes. Even Justin, his own best friend, seemed too shocked to really listen to Matt's explination. He'd been too shocked to even _want_ to understand.

But he couldn't tell Sam. It was painfully clear to him that if he told her what really happened with Robin there would be nothing he could say or do to keep Sam's will-power alive. Matt knew that when Ari brought Sam into the sky Sam's intention was to let herself fall to her death, all because of Robin. It didn't look like it took much to break Sam, and Matt had to do whatever it took to keep her together.

Others finding out the truth about Sam's life a huge mistake. This entire thing was a huge mistake. Sam had to be kept a secret afterall. There was no other way around it. Hopefully this was the last time they'd get figured out.

* * *

><p>It was Wednesday, four days after the incident, but Sam was not at school. This time she and Matt convinced Matt's mom that Sam had gotten sick. This wasn't completely a lie, because the girl actually did come down with a relatively high fever by the second day of her being bedridden. Sam had not gotten out of bed at all, and this way they were able to hide the fact that Sam couldn't walk, and they kept Sam's leg covered in the sheets and the cut on her face hidden by pressing it into her pillow. The woman didn't question it and, and called the school and excused Sam for the next couple of days.<p>

But now, while Matt's mom was at work and Matt was at school, Sam was alone. Matt had tried to get out of school to stay with her, but his mom of course refused. And, being alone, Sam didn't know what to do with herself. She didn't like being alone, and it was times like these when Sam understood Matt's deep hatred for the woods. It was lonely, simply put, to look around but to not see anybody or anything except for an empty house and hundreds of trees, deadened by the winter that had just passed.

The girl, still in the tee-shirt and shorts that she always wore to bed, trudged downstairs and into the kitchen. She dug around, looking for something to eat. Whenever she was alone in the house she found herself battling with the deep desire to eat, which she knew was probably out of boredom. But in the end she never ate much. It was strange to her to eat Matt's food without it being directly offered, despite all the times she was told to help herself. By now the house felt like home to her, Matt and his mom like family, but she still felt like an outsider.

She groaned lightly, closing the refrigerator door. She glanced at the clock on the wall as she lightly fell onto one of the kitchen chairs at the dining table, taking care to not bang her wounded leg on the leg of the table. It was only noon. "There's still three more hours until Matt gets home," she said quietly, talking out loud for no particular reason except to fill the heavy silence. Crossing her arms on the table and burying her face in them, she fell into a slump. What was she supposed to do with herself until then? Lightly touching her hand to the bandage on her thigh, Sam stretched her leg into the air, getting a feel for it. So far she had healed surprisingly well. So well that, while Matt guessed it would take her at least a week or two to be able to walk properly again, she was almost walking regularly in only 3 days. She knew that it wasn't the regular healing rate of a human, and so while part of her was relieved she was healing so quickly, a bigger part of her hated it.

Of course, she still had a while to go before she would be able to use her leg normally again. But, judging from her current healing rate, Sam was hopeful that it wouldn't be too long. And once she was up and on her feet again, she'd at least feel less vulnerable and she could protect herself and Matt again.

Sam suddenly realized that she was absolutely exhausted. Because of how paranoid she had become knowing that she couldn't properly fight and because of the constant stinging she felt on her cheek and leg, she had hardly been able to sleep. After glancing at the clock once more, almost as she were checking to see if it suddenly read three-o'clock instead of twelve, Sam sighed quietly, got up, and made her way towards the stairs. Placing her hand on the banister, Sam muttered, "Maybe I'll just try to get some sleep until-" But her voice trailed off, and Sam froze in her tracks at the base of the stairs.

There was the slightest tingling sensation at the base of her spine. It was the same feeling that she got whenever she was in danger, except this time, for some strange reason, it was very, very subtle. She stepped off the stairs and glanced around quickly. But she did not see Ari anywhere, and the house was silent.

But then Sam heard a quiet shuffling noise from upstairs and her breath caught in her throat. And then she heard the sound of a doorknob turn and she heard the creaking of an opening door. And when the girl heard the steady footsteps make their way towards the staircase, Sam, in absolute horror, Sam quietly stumbled in a clumysy mess of tripping feet away from the staircase.

Sam's door was the only door upstairs that creaked, and so whoever it was, they must have been inside her room. And the thought of it made Sam feel sick. It was definitely Ari. who else would be able to appear inside her room out of nowhere? But even so, something about this felt strange. This was low even for him. He knew that he'd left her in horrible condition the last time they fought, he knew she'd lose. How could she even try to fight him with her leg in the condition it was in? She definitely stood no chance against him in her current state. But she couldn't leave the house and run ether because he would easily be able to catch up with her if he caught on to her. The only option she had was to hide.

Sam turned and silently ran- limped, rather- to the portable phone, which sat in a charger on a small table in the living room. She grabbed it and found her way into a coat closet and silently clicked the door behind her.

She just stood there for a while, pressing herself into the corner of the closet, in the complete darkness, clutching the phone in her trembling hands. She strained her ears to listen for any noise at all, but found she could not make out a single sound. But somehow this was all the more terrifying and Sam's blood ran cold through her veins.

Normally, Sam wouldn't have dared call Matt, but she swore to him that she'd call him if anything happened and the last thing Sam wanted to do was disobey him. And she needed him now; she needed to hear his voice, and she needed him to tell her what to do. Besides, if anything happened to her Matt needed to know about it. She couldn't just disappear on him. And he had told her before that if it was her calling, he'd always pick up, no matter where he was. She quickly dialed his cell phone number, which he'd made Sam memorize, and she held the phone to her ear. The phone rang many times, and Sam got the sickening thought that Matt wasn't going to pick up. But just as Sam expected to hear his answering machine, she heard his breathless voice say, "Sam? I'm sorry, I just had to get to the bathroom before I could pick up, what's-"

"Matt!" she whispered into the phone, gripping it as though it was her only lifeline. The sound of his voice was such a relief that for a second she forgot why she was even calling him. But the fear in her voice was obvious, despite her relief, and the scared sound of her voice instantly made boy on the other end of the line freeze.

"What happened?" he demanded, the seriousness in his tone hardening his voice. He was so terrified suddenly that his voice was cracking.

The girl wasted no time. "There's somebody in the house."

"_What? Is it Ari-_"

"I think so," she breathed. Talking about it made her want to cry. And the next words that escaped from her lips surprised even her. "Please come home! Please!" she begged, her voice shaking and her body curling in on itself. Ever since everything had started, she had told herself over and over again that she could never put him in danger. And yet she suddenly found herself asking him to walk right into it. But she was truly terrified and she couldn't help herself. "I'm scared and I need you-" But her voice fell silent as the closet door was suddenly opened, amd Sam found herself staring right into the face of the intruder. The phone dropped from her hand and fell to the floor. "_Who are you_-"

From the other end of the line those were the last words Matt could understand before Sam started to scream. There was a sharp and staticy crack, the sound of the phone falling onto the floor, and suddenly he couldn't hear anything on the other end of the line but a series of horrifyingly loud shuffling noises. And Matt found himself screaming into the phone, "_Sam! Sam get out of the house and get help right now! Sam! If you can hear me get out now!_" But suddenly there was nothing but silence on the other end.

Matt held the onto the phone for a moment, jaw hanging open and eyes wide, in complete and absolute shock. His phone fell out of his shaking hand, and suddenly more enraged and terrified than he had ever been his entire life, he burst out of the bathroom and he sprinted out of the front doors of the school. Matt shot down the sidewalk and, faster than he had ever done in his life, he made it through the wood path and soon enough he was standing at his front door. Completely out of breath but not tired at all, Matt reached for the doorknob, but found it locked.

The boy backed away from the door and watched it for a moment. Whoever got to Sam was _not_ Ari, and it the person that wasn't him then it could very well be a regular human being. And since the door was locked, they could very well still be inside. Cursing at himself for dropping his phone and leaving it in the school, the boy realized that he had no other choice but to go inside and check everything out for himself. He didn't know what he'd do from there, but he had no other choise. Matt dug his house key out of his pocket and silently unlocked the door and stepped inside. The house was completely silent, and Matt suddenly found it extremely hard to keep himself steady.

The house looked like it hadn't been touched at all. The boy silently crept through the kitchen, into the living room, and headed towards the stairs but stopped in his tracks when he saw the portable phone lying on the floor in front of the coat closet, which was open. The boy rushed to the closet but found nothing inside except for the coats, of which many had been thrown from the hangers onto the floor, indicating that there had been some sort of struggle. Matt, now losing hope, picked up the phone from the floor and made his way up the stairs, praying that he'd find Sam up stairs. But he searched every room and every floor, and there was no sign of anybody. He searched again. Nothing. And before Matt knew what he was doing he was running in and out of every room in a mad frenzy, screaming Sam's name.

Falling against the wall, out of breath and hysterical, Matt tried to think through the little options he had and he tried to piece together just what the hell had happened. And then, for a moment, Matt thought that Sam must have got away. The thought of Sam losing to anybody just unbelievable, and so her getting out of the house safely seemed like the most logical choice. But then Matt remembered that the door was locked and there was no way Sam or anybody else could have locked it from the outside, and that idea shattered.

Nothing had been taken from the house. Nothing except for Sam. And so it was painfully obvious that whoever got into the house was primarily after her. And now the only question racing through Matt's head was who the hell took Sam. If it wasn't Ari, who the hell could it have been? Or was it the government? Or the police? But no matter who did it calling 911 was not an option. Everybody was after Sam, so the authorities weren't n option. Ether way Matt looked at it, it looked grim.

Shaking and suddenly feeling very, very sick, Matt punched the wall. The one time she needed him the most he couldn't help her at all. He could practically feel himself losing hold on all the thoughts that he had in his head, and he could not grab hold of any as they slipped away. And, once his mind had gone just about completely blank, only one question remained in his head: Would he ever see her again?

* * *

><p>Her eyes were open, but no matter where she looked she could not see anything. The girl sat still, trying to let her eyes adjust to the darkness so she could figure out where she was. But it seemed like no matter how hard she waited, she could not see. And for a long while she just sat there, trying to figure out if she had gone blind or if she was dead. She was surrounded in total darkness, and she probably would have been panic-stricken if she didn't feel so incredibly nauseous. Her hands and feet were not bound, but there was a strange, hard, heavy, cold thing around her neck that dug into her shoulders and, judging from the sounds it made whenever she moved, a chain connected it to a wall. It would have prevented her from moving very far from where she was but she felt so incredibly dizzy that she couldn't have moved if she wanted to ayway. The only thing she could hear was a steady humming sound that seemed to be coming from underneath her.<p>

She wasn't sure how long she sat there before she finally heard footsteps. They seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. She quickly recognized the same, steady-paced footsteps that she had heard back in the house, but she also heard much lighter, much quicker steps along with them. She knew she should have been terrified, but she felt a pang of relief to know that she hadn't been locked away alone for the dead.

Suddenly a beam of light jumped out of the darkness out of nowhere as a door slid open, and Sam cringed against the blinding light. When she was finally able to open her eyes she saw the blurry, unclear figures of two people standing at the doorway, and she recognized one of them as her kidnapper. He was tall, pale-skinned and had jet-black hair and dark purple eyes, and he was watching her with the same solemn expression that he had on when he took her. The other one was much shorter and clearly much younger. His light brown hair was pulled back and his orange eyes flashed at her with curiosity. They were the same as Ari. They were his people. They had the same ears, and the same chilling cat-like eyes that Ari had. She wasn't as scared of them as she should have been, only observant, because it somehow seemed that she just couldn't work herself up enough to completely comprehend the situation. It was like her feelings and strength had been numbed or torn from inside of her.

The only thing the girl was thinking of was that at least she hadn't gone blind after all. She could not, however, tell herself she was not dead. Because she knew very well that was the direction she was heading in.

"Looks like she's finally awake," said her kidnapper.

"She's the one?" the smaller one asked critically. "But she's so _small_."

The taller one nodded. "It doesn't look like Ari should have had many problems, doesn't it? He took much too long, I have no clue what the hell was going through his head." His voice was heavy and scornful. They couldn't speak english as fluently as Ari could somehow. He made his way towards Sam. The other one scrunched up his nose and followed. The blurred figures danced towards her, and it took a lot for Sam to focus on them.

The both bent down in front of her but Sam did not react in any way. She hardly even moved. Part of it was because she didn't want to show them any emotion or weakness, but it was mainly because she felt so incredibly sick and weak that it seemed like the slightest movement would make her pass out. She was even starting to seeing double. And as the taller one reached for her, Sam did nothing. He fondled the metal band around her neck, which Sam realized was a shackle, and removed her stone from underneath.

In her head, Sam was begging him to give it back, because when she tried to speak her dry throat throbbed and she couldn't find her voice.

The black-haired man looked at her stone for a moment and then put it in his pocket. When he brought his hand back out he had a syringe in his grasp. He took hold of Sam's limp wrist and injected the nape of her elbow with it, and almost immediately Sam's body felt a lot heavier and sluggish that it already was, if that was even possible. He stood up, put the syringe back in his pocket, and turned towards the door. "There, she's sedated. It'll keep her calm for the time being. We won't have any trouble with her for quite a while. Come on, Marcon. We're done here."

Marcon stayed crouched down in front of her for a moment, just watching her, almost like he expected some sort of show. But Sam only watched him back, trying to hide the fact that she felt like she was going to pass out any second. "I just can't get over it," he finally said, still staring at her with disappointed, angry eyes. "I was so ready for some action but then you go ahead and do everything yourself. And in the end she just looks so…" he paused, searching for the right words. "…easy to take care of."

"Ari calls her Sam," said the taller one. He made his way towards the door. The confident and cool way he spoke and carried himself reminded her of Ari. "If you don't come here now I'll lock you in with her. You know I mean it." And Marcon was next to him in a flash, and in the next moment Sam was alone in the dark again.

Sam still had absolutely no clue where she was or what was going on. And for the next few agonizing hours those questions ran through her head over and over again. And the more she thought about it, the angrier and more confused she became. She had been sitting there staring into the empty darkness for so long that the horrible sickness in her gut had begun to subside, which she had earlier thought wasn't even possible.

But then finally, after what felt like an eternity, the door slid open again and once Sam was able to see. Through the light, she recognized Ari. He walked over to her and silently crouched down in front of her. Remembering their last encounter, Sam's entire body cringed against the wall, and in the process the chain that connected her to it sharply dug into her back. And after a moment of blankly staring at Sam and ignoring her reaction to him, he held a large pill in front of him. "Eat this." And, unresponsive, Sam only watched him.

Ari, still holding up the pill, sighed. "Come on."

"No," Sam finally said, trying to pull herself together. It was a quiet word, but at least she managed to say _something_. Even though her throat was still throbbing, she was surprised she could actually talk again. Building up just about all the courage and will-power she had left inside her, she repeated herself. "_No_."

"Ah, she speaks," said Ari. Putting that aside, he said, "If you don't you'll starve."

"It's probably going to kill me."

"It won't, it's a supplement. We need you alive."

"All the more reason for me not to eat it."

Ari looked annoyed. He was surprised that the girl still had the strength to mouth him off. He opened his mouth to say something but Sam cut him off. "This is low even for you. You hurt my leg and knew I wouldn't be able to fight back. So much for your damn challenge. So much for that damn _compromise_. You're a coward."

Ari cocked an eyebrow. Her words were a slow, quiet, and very slurred, hostile hiss. She was drugged up bad and Ari knew it all too well. And it looked like drugged-up-Sam was about to go barking up the wrong tree. "I had nothing to do with this and I had no intention go get you onboard like this," he stated firmly. "Not that I'm making excuses, but this was all Omega. He was the one who took you here. He acted on his own." He was looking at her wounded leg, which had reopened a little and the blood was showing through the white bandage, and then glanced at her bandaged cheek. "And he didn't know that I was still coming to see you ever since he was put in charge of everything, so he didn't know you were hurt."

Sam scoffed, turning her head to the side and pressing it back against the wall in a wasted attempt to stop the room from spinning. "Like that even matters. He kidnapped me. Where am I?"

"On my ship."

Sam was blinking rapidly. "_Excuse me_?"

"And we're heading home."

"You're taking me _where_?"

"You heard me. We have a long trip ahead of us and so if you don't want to starve you better shut up and eat this-"

"I'm not eating _anything_," Sam hissed. Her aggression had faded again and she once again felt so incredibly terrified that she could barely keep her composure. But, whatever she did, she could absolutely not show Ari that fear. She _would not_ show him that he had won. _Because he hadn't_. Not just yet. She was still breathing; she was still alive, after all. It was suddenly clear to her that the moment that Ari finally had all the energy sucked out of her would be the moment he'd won. But nothing had been sucked out of her so far, for all Sam knew. She still had time. She had to believe so; she had to believe that she would see Matt again. And so she put on her most aggressive expression. "_Take me back and let me go_."

"Oh, Sam, Sam, Sam," said Ari in a mocking voice, shaking his head. Sam didn't know it, but she looked very much like an idiot. While drugged, trying to look strong and angry only made her look constipated. But at the same time, Ari was impressed that she was even trying. "I don't plan on letting you go _anywhere_. And besides, it's too late. We've already left; you've been asleep for two days, you know."

"_What?_" managed Sam, shocked. She searched his face, desperatly trying to find some trace of a lie in his composed face. "You're lying, aren't you? That's impossible-"

"It's not." He held the pill in front of her again. "Now your trap-"

"/iNo/i," growled Sam. She could feel tears begin to swell in the corners of her eyes even though she knew very well that it would do her no good to cry, and she prayed that Ari didn't notice. And to top everything off, she could feel the nausea in her stomach begin to build up again, and the familiar feeling that she was going to hurl returned, after having only just gone away a small while ago. "Take me back!"

Quickly, Ari said, "I'll repeat myself once more, if you don't eat this you'll starve and die. This is the only thing we have onboard that a human can eat without getting sick."

If he didn't stop it with that god forsaken pill Sam would throw up all over him. "_I understand_." Her slurred words came out as a growl, and she felt as if she was on the verge of losing it. "But I would rather starve to death then-"

Ari, hsi composure finally shattering, suddenly put the pill in his own mouth. His eyes were suddenly extremely fierce, but Sam only managed to catch a quick glimpse of them before he grabbed the shackle around her neck with one hand and grabbed her face with the other. Sam suddenly found herself being forced to stare directly upward at Ari, who was leaning in over her, and before she even had time to register what was happening his mouth was on hers. He forced her mouth open and the trembling girl felt his tongue slide in and she felt him push the pill to the back of her throat. Still deterined not to eat it, she tried to fight it back. She tried to push him away, but her body was so weak she could barely even lift her arms. But suddenly Ari pulled sharply pulled away from her on his own and, grabbing her head in his big hands, he slammed it against the wall behind her. And, nearly choking, Sam swallowed the pill.

Ari's looked down on her with a strange sence of hostility and, with her face still in Ari's grasp, Sam found herself staring up at him, gasping for breath. She had forgotten to breathe. He looked furious, and the danger of the situation was suddenly very real for Sam. The extreme vulnerability and delusion she felt was clearly displayed in her eyes.

"You are an idiot after all," he hissed lowly, yanking the shackle and tilting it upward so that Sam was forced to look at him again when she tried to look down. "So much that you still don't understand what's happening. You are no longer on earth, you no longer have your stone, you can no longer defend yourself, you are alone, and," Ari yanked her closer. "You are _done_." Sam stared up at him in shock; every word was a stab. And Ari continued. "It's all over so just give it up. To make this as painless as possible for yourself, you're cooperation is vital."

Ari dropped the shackle hard onto Sam and let her tumble backwards onto the ground and into the wall, the heavy weight of the metal once again crushing her down. He stood up and looked down at Sam, snarling. "That pill will last you for the next three days, and in three days I'll be back to give you another one. When that time comes I do not expect this kind of trouble from you again." Ari's angry mouth let out a chuckle that seemed to radiate pity, and, shaking his head slightly, he said, "Or you'll regret it with everything you've got. Just because you've had it easy until now, don't underestimate me." And he made his way towards the door.

Sam couldn't contain herself any longer, and her body curled up and hunched over. Digging her fists into the floor, Sam's face pinched, her body started to shake. Even with her jaw clenched as tight as she could possible bare, she couldn't contain her sobs. His words rang sharp in her head. _She was done. She was done._ She was finished, defeated, beaten, crushed, over and done with. And, while she knew it, she couldn't imagine that, after everything, it was over – actually _over_- just like that. She hadn't even stood a chance. "This isn't fair…! Take me back, take me back… please…!" she choked quietly, barely managing to speak audible words. "_This is all wrong…!_"

Ari watched her for a moment before walking through the door and sliding it shut, once again leaving Sam in complete and total darkness.


	9. Small Talk

***** Thank you again for the lovely reviews guys! I really appreciate it! They keep me going!**

**REVIEW**

Sam couldn't contain herself any longer, and her body curled up and hunched over. Digging her fists into the floor, Sam's face pinched, and her body started to shake. Even with her jaw clenched as tight as she could possible bare, she couldn't contain her sobs. His words rang sharp in her head. _She was done. She was done._ She was finished, defeated, beaten, crushed, over and done with. And, while she knew it, she couldn't imagine that, after everything, it was over – actually _over_- just like that. She hadn't even stood a chance. "This isn't fair…! Take me back, take me back… please…!" she choked quietly, barely managing to speak audible words. "_This is all wrong…!_"

Ari watched her for a moment before walking through the door and sliding it shut, once again leaving Sam in complete and total darkness.

* * *

><p>For the longest time Sam just sat there against the cold wall, drifting in an out of a heavy and muggy sleep over and over and over again. It was impossible for her to tell whether she was awake or not because ether way she could see nothing but the dark. However, she did dream. And it was the times only when she was dreaming that she knew she was asleep. Because, while she dreamed, she saw the sharp and vivid pictures in her mind, and they seemed to explode everywhere around her as her thoughts contrasted with the darkness. She could see her home back on earth and her room. She would see Matt's face, which she saw more than anything else, and the faces of Robin and Justin. She would dream of the strangest things; things that she had only seen once or people from her classes that she had never even talked to. But then she would see the bad thoughts in her mind that would completely mask the good ones. Ari's face would flash through her mind, much more than Sam would have liked. She saw Omega and Marcon and Robin's terrified face, and these dreams would make Sam wake up with such a start that her body wouldn't be able to stop shaking. And then the pictures she could see were gone and it was just Sam alone in the dark again.<p>

And then once, after dreaming, Sam woke up only to find herself staring into a light. It took her a moment to realize that the light was from the door, which was open, and she realized that Ari was in front of her, unwrapping the bandage of the wound on her leg. Twitching underneath him, she barely muttered, "What are you doing?"

He did not look up at her. "I have to change it." And after finally getting the bloody cloth off her leg, he took a long, clean bandage from the floor. He bent her leg and began to work the bandage over her thigh. His fingers were skilled and easily flitted over her, and his touch was gentle; so gentle that Sam could barely feel him. "It started bleeding again the other day, afterall."

The other day? Just how long had it even been since she had last seen him? Sam had no clue when it was night or when it was the day and whatever Omega had injected into her that time had left her so dizzy and constantly kept her falling in and out of sleep so it was impossible to even guess. "Don't bother," Sam breathed. Her head fell against the wall. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"It'll get infected," he said. Somehow, it seemed like his attitude was different from the last time. And somehow this only made Sam angry. "And like I said, we have a long trip ahead of us. It'll be a problem if I let this get out of control."

Sam, without really thinking, tried to push his hands away. But they were shaky and weak and Ari only ignored her. And in a moment she was forced to drop them because the effort to move them was too much on her. "You gave this to me in the first place. I hope you're happy." The words seemed to tumble out of her mouth out of her control.

The boy glanced up at her before tightening the bandage. The tug was so sharp that it stung against her wound and Sam winced. "You've got a very negative attitude." He tied the ends of the bandage together, finishing up his work. "And it's fucking annoying to hear."

Sam clenched her jaw. She just wanted him to leave. How the hell could this guy alone possibly manage to get her so fired up so easily? She suddenly felt like she really, _really_needed to punch him in the face.

But at the same time, in the back of her mind, she was telling herself that she needed answers. She wanted to know just what was happening, how long they were going to keep her locked in this room, and punching Ari in the face would surely get her nowhere. She needed to figure out just exactly what was going on. And while her head was just clear enough to sort out her thoughts, she said, "There has to be something else in this entire universe that can do for you what you need from me. I want to go home."

Ari paused. He hadn't expected her to question what was going on. But the looks of it, she seemed like she had accepted that this was going to be the end of her. "Maybe so," Ari said, "but you're the only thing we know of right now that can do what needs to be done."

"There has to be something else," Sam repeated. It was almost as though if she convinced Ari then it would be true. Or maybe she was just trying to convince herself.

"There's nothing else out there that we know of and we don't have the time to look. There's nothing else." He said again. "At least not anymore."

Sam was looking at him again. "Anymore?"

Ari was quiet for a moment. He didn't know if he should be talking to her about these kinds of things. He didn't know why he was bothering. But then again, what the hell? She'd be dead soon enough anyway. "A long time ago, a really long time ago, there used to be a material called Mew Aqua. I don't know everything about it but I know that it was made out of pure water and the only place it could be found was on earth. It was powerful stuff. Just one piece of it, just this big," he held out his hand and spread his finders to about the width of a golf ball for demonstration, "could do the same for our planet as all the energy in your entire body could."

"What happened to it?" Sam asked after a moment, hooked on the idea. "Where is it now?"

"Gone. It's completely gone." Ari fell to the ground so that he was sitting instead of crouching. He had his elbow propped against his knee and he had his hand holding up his face. It was then that Sam realized just how tired Ari looked. Maybe he would pass out and die on the spot. That wouldn't be a bad thing.

Sam was shaking her head. "How?"

He breathed out and rolled his eyes at her. "It's too much to explain-"

"I want an explanation," she demanded. Ari looked back at her, surprised by the sure- well, as sure as one can sound while heavily sedated- and angry tone in her voice. "You at least owe me that."

The boy sighed. As far as he was concerned he didn't owe the human in front of him shit. But he had nothing better to do, and there was no harm in talking to her, was there? Now that they had her, not anymore. "I don't know where to start. Does the name Tokyo Mew Mew sound familiar to you?"

Sam watched him for a moment, twitching at his words. From the sounds of it he was messing with her. "No."

"Wow. You really did somehow manage to lose your memories, didn't you?" Ari said, with a brief and tired laugh. "They're a group of girls who were just like you."

"What?" Sam breathed, taken aback. That wasn't something she had expected to hear. And just like that she forgot that Ari could very well have just been lying to her. The thought of her not being the only one seemed to override every other thought in her system. "Like me? Where-"

"They're dead. They're long dead. They've been dead for years. They lived a good two generations ago, after all."

Sam fell back against the wall again, suddenly feeling very weak again. So much for that. Each time Ari said the word 'dead' it was like a stab from that stupid death blade of his. But still, there were once others like her? This whole time she had been thinking that she was the only one, that there was nobody like her or that there had ever been anybody like her. Looking upward with her eye lids half shut, Sam said quietly, "Can you tell me about them?"

Ari gave her a strange look, but Sam ignored it. "Please," she breathed.

The boy sighed again, rubbing his hand to his forehead. "This is completely pointless."

Sam's chest felt heavy. Screw that. She wasn't going to ask again. She wasn't about to beg Ari for anything. But just as Sam thought that Ari was going to get up and walk away, he spoke. "There were five of them," he said, watching Sam intently. "They fought off my race from previously trying to take over your planet. They each had the DNA of a different animal-"

"You tried to take over the earth before?"

"_No_. We tried to take back what was rightfully ours. We lived on the earth before humans, actually. But due to the circumstances we had to leave. The only planet we could find that we could live on was this ice wasteland and our people began to die out very fast. And when we finally decided to go back to the earth we found it covered with humans. And that's how I became involved in all of this. The BEC contacted us because they were just _so_scared of you." Ari's tone was mocking again and Sam narrowed her eyebrows at him. Couldn't he just be serious for a moment? He had his hand on the top of her head and he was rubbing down on her quite hard. "Can you believe it? This little thing in front of me was once so dangerous that they thought they had to hire little old me to come get you. They figured that we had the experience since we previously dealt with Tokyo Mew Mew in the past and that we'd be the perfect for the job. And they offered us half of your power in return."

Aru smiled to himself, remembering. "But then, sometime after you escaped, you lost your memories. And things turned out a lot different than we expected. To keep this from getting boring, I didn't just bring you back to the government immediately like I was told. And then, because I procrastinated, the council back home got involved and eventually decided that I was to bring you back home instead of the government. They figured that, why take only half of your energy when we could have it all?"

Sam was attentive, although she wasn't looking at him. She was listening to him more closely than she had ever before. She had never listened to him like this and it felt very strange for her. She was having an actual conversation with _Ari_, her _enemy_, a goddamn _assasin_. She had always tried so desperately to block his constricting voice from getting into her head, to prevent him from messing with her mind. Did he always had an accent?

Things were starting to make more sense for Sam. It was like the more he filled her in, the more pieces fit into the puzzle. But with each piece that fell into place, the bigger the puzzle got. Questions just kept forming in her head. Slowly, Sam said, "And so you came back with Marcon and Omega, the _henchmen_."

Ari's grip on her head tightened before releasing. "Yeah," he said sourly. "That. The council decided that I was incapable of doing the job and they forced them on me."

Sam was quiet for a long moment. "Why _didn't_you kill me. You had the chance to so many times, but you never did."

"Ah," said Ari, cracking a little crooked smile. "Now _that's_a question. I wasn't hired to kill you, remember? I was hired to find you. If I killed you, your energy would die, too." His eyes were on hers, and he found it very amusing how she refused to look at him. "I did have many chances, didn't I? Like I said before, I guess I just found you to be very, very interesting, and," Ari was looking her directly in the eyes, and Sam suddenly found she couldn't pull away from his gaze. "I quickly figured out that you're a lot like me."

Sam's eyes flashed up to meet his in a very sketpical manor, and, taking in the look she gave him, Ari laughed. "I really mean it! If it was any other situation I would have finished the job in an instant. Believe me, everything would have changed for the better for me if I had only done it right. But, somehow, if I took you, it was like I had become the thing I hated. You know?" He smiled to himself again, playing with his hands. "But at the same time, I couldn't leave you alone. Even though I didn't want to take you, I hated you. So I continued to give you a hard time, I continued to harass you. I didn't want to see you win because, well... When it was me, I didn't win. And If I watched while you did what I couldn't do..."

Ari no longer seemed like he wanted to finish what he had wanted to say, and the two sat there in silence for a moment. Ari had told her once before that she reminded him of himself, but that seemed so long ago and even now Sam didn't get it. She couldn't understand it. They were polar opposites. And they hated each other, as far as Sam was concerned. Hell, they weren't even the same _species_. How could she be anything like Ari?

As if reading her mind, Ari said, "It's you against the world right now." His words were slow. "It was the same for me. It still _is_. And, just like you, everybody was out to get me for reasons that were unfair and sure as hell not my fault. And that makes us the same."

Sam, skeptical, did not believe that the boy in front of her understood how she felt at all. She did not even want to consider that she and Ari were alike, so she didn't ask further into it. And so she decided to go back and file through the hundreds of other questions swarming her head. "You said that everybody in Tokyo Mew Mew just had the DNA of one animal. Just one?"

Ari blinked in thought for a moment. "Yes-"

"I have more than one," she said, suddenly looking down at her hands. "I'm different from them after all?" The dissapointment in her drugged voice was easy to pick up.

Ari let out a deep breath. "It's complicated. You're like them, but you aren't like them at the same time. These girls had different powers than you. They couldn't control the elements like you can." Itching the top of his head, Ari said, "I guess I'd call you artificial mew. You were based off of them but made to be bigger and better. The BEC made you so that you were different-"

"The BEC?"

"Biomechanical Experimentation Center. They made you to be a weapon and-"

"Yeah," scoffed Sam, angry. "I figured that already-"

But Ari pushed the palm of his head against her mouth. "Can you _please_stop interrupting me? For just one second?" Sam's hands were much too heavy to lift and push him away, so she just sad there until he was done and dropped his hand.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked, frustration prominent in her eyes. "It's like I'm drunk. I can't speak right, I can't think right, I can't even _move_."

"You're not drunk," said Ari flatly, once again resting his head in his hand. "You're sedated. Omega drugged you up pretty hard to be sure you wouldn't give us any problems."

"I don't even have my stone. What the hell could I do?" she said, aggravated. "And besides, I felt sick even before he drugged me-"

"Well," Ari said, twitching in an irritated mannor, "when he first teleported you here, you were so nauseous immediatly passed out. And whenever you were awake you were throwing up. It was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. And I'm not even exaggerating, it was all over the place. And then when you were finally done you just collapsed and went unconscious and stayed like that for three days." Ari said that in all seriousness, but when he saw the disgusted look on Sam's face he cracked a grin. "It's because, if it takes a lot for one of _my_kind to get used to teleporting, it'll be just about impossible for a human- who isn't even meant to teleport in the first place-to get used to it. Teleporting is incredibly dangerous. Even for us. That's why we have to drive a ship to the Earth. We can't just teleport back and forth between planets. Trying to teleport across such a long distance would kill us."

Sam watched him for a while without saying anything. She watched him silently, secretly hoping that when she was throwing up so much she'd made it a point to throw up all over his face.

Ari decided to continue what he started. "Anyway, BEC wanted to make their own mew with a couple of different modifications. They took you when you were a new born kid and they started infusing all this DNA shit inside your body. That's why you have the DNA of more than one animal inside of you. And they completely reshaped your DNA in the process which enabled you to have control over the elements. And that's why you are what you are. You're hardly even a human anymore."

Sam suddenly looked sad and alarmed all over again. Quietly, she breathed, "That's insane."

Ari gave her a small nod, even though she had been speaking more to herself than to him. "And from what I understand, you were only an experiment. They said that there were a few serious glitches in your system actually that made you unstable. You weren't the hard copy." He looked at her. So far he hadn't seen any of those glitches, now that he thought about it. The only thing he noticed that was strange was that her eyes changed color. And for all he knew that was all just in his head.

The girl watched him carefully, and when she remained unresponsive, Ari realized that she was waiting for him to continue. He smiled again. It was wierd for him too, to talk with her like this. "But I'm getting off track here," he said, pushing his bangs from his face. "Back to the mew aqua."

"My race and Tokyo Mew Mew began to fight over the earth _and_the mew aqua. The mews could use it as a sort of power boost, and we wanted to harness its power. But as the mews continued to find more and more pieces of the mew aqua and one of them would absorb the pieces power each time. And soon enough all the pieces were gone."

Sam was shaking her head. "How could they have gotten it all?"

"Well they didn't quite get it all. When all was said and done there was a small amount left and the mews gave it to us so that instead of trying to take over the earth, we could use the power to sustain our own planet and make it livable."

"But it didn't work?" She didn't know why she bothered asking when the answer was obvious.

Ari shrugged. "This is where it gets dumb. I do think would have worked. But my people decided to move to a different planet all together. They wanted to find a planet more stable than the one we were already living on so that when we used the mew aqua on it the planet would not merely become habitable but it would remain habitable forever. But it was somewhere during the time that we moved that the mew aqua was lost. I have no clue how it happened, but it did. We screwed ourselves over. "

"But you found a better planet?"

"Well yes," he said, "And at first everything was great. Or so I heard. And then our planet started to die. We just can't afford to move again and we don't have that much time until the planet caves in on itself. And that's why we decided to act on our own and take all of your power instead of just the half that the government promised us. We need all of you."

Sam was so absorbed with the thought that there could be another way for them to fix their planet other than by using her energy that she forgot what kind of situation she was in for a moment. Just the thought of going back to Matt set her on fire. Looking down, she said, "But what if there was a chance that…"

But when she looked back up at Ari he was standing up, and he was looking towards the doorway. Following his gaze, Sam recognized Omega standing there. He looked angry. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"What dows it matter?" Ari said back. His voice sounded menacing. And this confused Sam. These two were on the same side, yet they talked each other like this?

Ari made his way towards the door and Omega stepped to the side to let Ari out. Sam, with her jaw hanging open, watched Ari in dismay. She still had so many questions! And she somehow knew that she would never get another chance to ask him anything. Omega grabbed onto the door and began to slide it shut but Sam, suddenly sick at the thought of being left alone in the dark, stuttered, "Can you leave it like that?"

Omega paused and watched her silently. Ari, on the other hand, turned around and made his way through the hallway and disappeared from Sam's sight.

* * *

><p>"The door, I mean." Sam's voice was quiet and she felt herself shrinking away towards the wall. She couldn't help herself. It was like Omega's eyes became all the more fierce the longer she looked at them. It somehow felt more dangerous now that Ari was gone, if that was possible. Like Omega needed to be controlled or monitored by somebody. "It's dark."<p>

But Omega watched his with unphased and angry eyes, and without a word he shut the door anyway.

"The council wants to meet with us." Omega said to Ari, smoothing down his shirt. The boy had never left, he was standing against the metal walls of the corridor, watching Omega with firce anger. And Marcon was next to him. With his arms crossed and his jaw tight, Ari asked, "Why?"

"They want to discuss something with all of us. And your father has something he wants to talk to you about specifically." Omega was standing in front of Ari. "And were close enough that we can teleport safely. We'll just leave the ship on auto-pilot and-"

"Go without me," And Ari turned and started down the hallway.

"Hey, hey, hey," growled Omega, grabbing Ari by the arm. "He wants to talk to you as your father, not as the leader of the council. He knows that the only reason you took on this mission in the first place was to redeem yourself for everything. But since you screwed it up and ruined it, it looks like he took it on himself to find another way to help you. That's what he it sounded like when I spoke with him.

Ari set his eyes burning into Omega and sharply tore his arm from his grasp.

Taken aback by the boy's reaction, Omega said to him in a firm, warning voice, "He's a great man, you shouldn't take him for granted." But upon receiving no response from Ari other than an empty glare, Omega sighed. "This is a good thing, Ari. Don't-"

"There are two things wrong with what you just said," said Ari, cutting him off. "One; that man is not my father. And two; you don't know what the fuck you're talking about."


	10. Proposition

**REVIEW**

"Go without me," And Ari turned and started down the hallway.

"Hey, hey, hey," growled Omega, grabbing Ari by the arm. "He wants to talk to you as your father, not as the leader of the council. He knows that the only reason you took on this mission in the first place was to redeem yourself for everything. But since you screwed it up and ruined it, it looks like he took it on himself to find another way to help you. That what he made it sound like when I spoke with him. He's such a great man, you should be honored." But upon receiving no response from Ari other than a doubtful glare, Omega sighed. "This is a good thing, Ari. Don't-"

"There are two things wrong with that statement," said Ari, cutting him off. "One; that man is not my father. And two; you don't know what the fuck you're talking about."

* * *

><p>The room where the council always met was not very big or nicely kept, but it was as nice a room as you could find among the crumbling planet. There was nobody inside when Ari, Omega, and Marcon appeared except for the two leaders of the council, who stood at the opposite end of the room, waiting for them. While both Omega and Marcon stopped in their tracks and let their heads drop out of respect once their eyes locked with the leaders, Ari sauntered directly towards the two men, stopping just in front of them. Knowing very well that he was only angering them, Ari raised his eyebrows at the man standing to the right and said, "At your services, <em>pop<em>."

The man who Ari was making eye contact with managed to keep his composure relatively well, which disappointed Ari quite a bit. Pushing his long, black, graying hair- which fell down his back and was loosely tied together with a strip of cloth- from his face, he cleared his throat, embarrassed. "Please excuse my son," he said to the man beside him, with an awkward smile on his face that didn't seem to fit him right. "I suppose he's just excited."

"Yes, Father. _Excited_." Ari's sarcasm was heavy and the man beside his father flinched at the disrespect.

Watching Ari with a stern, skeptically eye, the man, who was second in command of the council, said to Ari's father, "Let's just get down to business, Maurizi."

"Yes, yes," And Maurizi sharply grabbed Ari's shoulders, spun the boy around and began to push him out of the room. "Please take care of these two. And I'll get started with my boy in the other room." In a second the man had led Ari into a smaller room and slid the door shut behind him fiercely. "Are you _trying_to make your reputation even worse or do you just not even care anymore?" he demanded.

Ari's hand slid onto his neck. "Yeah, see, I wouldn't say that I'm trying to do _shit_, but caring about it never exactly made any difference."

"I don't even know what to do with you anymore, Ari!" said Maurizi, slamming his fist against the wall. He was red in the face and Ari couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or anger. "Especially if you keep up that attitude! You live with _me_, for god's sake, and its damn time you learn your place!"

Ari rolled his eyes at the man, beginning to grow irritated himself. While he was legally considered this man's son, they were not blood related. Maurizi's past mate, Jiae, who ruled the council alongside him, fell in love with some other man and the two secretly saw eachother. Eventually, they ran away together and disappeared, and because the two couldn't keep their pants on, Ari was born.

Now, it was normal for an ordinary man on Ari's home planet to have many partners in life. In fact, it was encouraged to promote the growth of the incredibly small population. However, for any member of the council, _especially_the leader, it was unheard of. It was strictly forbidden. It was the tradition and law that each council member was to mate with one partner for life as the ideal leaders and role models for the people. And besides, because each female of the council became part of the council through marriage, it would be a problem if too many women became involved with the men. And so Jiae's insolence wasn't tolerated. In the end, they found her and Jiae was killed for treason. And so was the man that was Ari's true father. Ari didn't even know the man's name.

Nobody knew what to do with Ari after that. That sort of crime had never been committed before, and nobody knew whether to kill the child, the result of the crime, or to let him live since he did not commit the crime after all. But he was hated. He had always been hated. The entire population was brainwashed by the council's laws and limits and expectations that Ari never stood a chance. In the end Ari was spared by the council (much to the outrage of the people), but he found himself alone and hated and rejected. Eventually he found himself back with Maurizi, who was the closest thing of a relative that he had. Maurizi didn't like Arr, and this was more than obvious to the boy. Maurizi held fierce resentment and hate towards him that should have been rightfully directed towards Jiae. But the man was forced to take him in since nobody else would.

Since the entire race was against the adoption and wanted to have Ari killed instead, initially the publice was more than displeased with the outcome. But he eventually turned the tables and used the adoption to gain a lot of sympathy and support from the public, and he was suddenly a saint amongst the people. Maurizi was always sure to mention that the notorious and infamous Ari was his 'beloved son' whenever he got the chance. That he had learned to love the boy, the essence of his partner's sin, despite himself. And while Maurizi was constantly getting props for dealing with the very boy that brought him so much "shame", Ari was continuously and rapidly losing the little respect -if any- he had from the people more and more each day for 'disgracing' His Majesty.

But of course, whenever Ari and Maurizi were alone together, Maurizi never once referred to Ari as his son. Around Ari, he didn't even try to hide how truly felt or who he truly was. There was no point, really, because Ari could always see right through him anyway.

Although his expression was apathetic, Ari's voice was sharp and cold. "Just tell me what's going on so I can get back to my ship and get it home." Suddenly feeling very tired, Ari let himself fall onto one of the chairs that surrounded the long, metal table that stood in the middle of the room. Resting his face in his hands, he looked up at his so-called-father expectantly.

"Well, actually, I don't have anything I want to discuss with you, really," said Maurizi, sitting down in a chair as well. He made it a point to sit across the table rather than next to him. "I know that Lan over there," he said, pointing to the doorway of the room they had just come from, "wanted to congratulate Omega and Marcon for turning the direction of your mission around."

Ari snorted. "Gee, how nice of him. Those two _sure did_keep me in line. I would have failed if it wasn't for them. Like usual. Because I suck."

Looking back at Ari, returning the same tired, dull expression, Maurizi said, "You sarcasm sounds more like honesty today. It's sort of refreshing."

Ari's head smacked onto the table. "If you didn't want anything from me why did you take me in a separate room?"

Maurizi crossed his hands in front of him and let out a sigh, being sure to take his time answering Ari. "It was Jontel who asked to speak with you. With the both of us, actually. She said it was urgent and that she had to speak with us as soon as possible and that it had to be private. But it doesn't seem like she's arrived yet-"

"Wait, Jontel Meei? _My_Jontel?"

"What other Jontel _could it possibly be_?"

Just then the door slid open and a girl stood there. She did not say anything, she merely glanced at Maurizi before grey eyes fell onto Ari and suddenly it was as if the other man wasn't even in the room anymore. She looked at the boy indifferently, her tense stare aggressivly pulling Ari in.

Ari remained ignorant to her obvious anger. Suddenly shooting up from his seat, sending his chair crashing backwards, Ari leapt forward and in an instant the girl was in his grasp. "Jon..!" he breathed, half laughing, "It's been way to long..!"

Jontel was one of Ari's only friends from childhood. The girl was the daughter of the council leader of the southern population, while Ari's father led the north, and the two became acquainted through the council. She was the only good thing that came from being a involved with the council. They'd known eachother all their lives. However, since they lived on opposite ends of the continent, they didn't see much of each other. And up until now, Ari hadn't seen the girl in 4 years.

Grabbing the girl by the shoulders, he held her back and took a good look at her. Grinning, her narrowed grey eyes peered up at him through her gold lashes, and her small nose scrunched under his gaze. Her had really matured since he had last seen her. All the roundness in her face was gone, everything child-like about her had disappeared. "You look good," he said, smiling.

"You look exausted," she said, the sharpness in her eyes fading slightly. "Like an old man." Someone as young as Ari was should not look as worn as he did, but he did. Jontel suspected it was the built up stress of years of trying to make up for his mother's sins, and she was reminded of why she came here in the first place. "We have to talk."

Although the tone in her voice implied that whatever she had to say was important, the boy had no desire to hear it. All he wanted to do was talk with the girl and sit down with her, and forget about the consequences that would face him when he and his team got the ship back to the planet for not having the ability to finish the mission on his own. Ari let out a tired sigh and a forced smile, and said, "Can't it wait? Let's just sit down and catch up-"

"Then sit down," she said solemnly, motioning to the table where Maurizi sat, forgotten. "And I'll catch you up with everything." Because there was no helping it, Ari sat down across from Maurizi and the two watched Jontel expectantly. Remembering Maurizi, Jontel let her bowed her head in front of him before taking her seat, having forgotten her place. He was the leader of the Northern Council after all, and was to be treated with the utmost respect. It was her duty as the daughter of the Southern Council's leader to do so and to act upon the highest sincerity.

She sat at the head of the table. She didn't have time to beat around the bush. Ari would have to return to his ship soon to drive it and the energy source that it contained home, and so she would have to get to the point immediately. "You both know that Omega and Marcon are going to be the ones that get the cedit for the success of the mission, don't you."

Both Maurizi and Ari watched her with apathetic expressions. "Yes," said Maurizi, "because Ari was incapable." Ari did not even flinch at the comment. Comments like these he was used to.

Jontel closed her eyes. This was harder for her to say than she thought. With an attempt to calm herself. "Ari was assigned to the mission so that he would stop getting such abuse from the public. But since Omega and Marcon were assigned to the mission because stupid Ari was taking so long, when Ari gets back home, the people won't treat him any differently than they always did. It might even be worse than before. And so I came up with an idea. It's a little out there, but I'm sure it will work. It will absolutly earn Ari respect."

They watched her, waiting for her to get to the point. Her eyes narrowed and her face lowered defensivly, and her cheeks swelled red slightly. Heavily studdering over her words, she said, "It's because Ari's my best friend and because I don't want to keep watching the people hurt-"

"Oh, Jontel," said Maurizi, irritated, "Please just say it-"

"I think it would be for the best," she said, her voice quiet and wavering, "if we let Ari inherit your place as leader of council, Maurizi. When the time comes."

It became quiet in the room immediately. Ari, rocking back in his chair, laughed. "Jon, I know you want to help me and all, but that would never work."

"I have to agree with him on this one," said Maurizi, leaving against the table. He didn't look the slightest bit amused. Why would i give him the throne when I have another perfectly capable son of my own."

"But Ari would be a good leader!" Jon tell, the desperation in her voice growing obvious. "And Ari's your son, too! And he's older! The throne should be his!"

"Not when he isn't related to me by blood," snarled Maurizi, his eyes darkening. "Where are you even coming from, Jontel?"

"Ari's my friend, sir! He's really important to me and I'm sick and tired of watching the people wear him out! If he was the leader they'd be forced to acknowlage him and give him the respect he deserves! Ari never did anything wrong!"

"He doesn't deserve it," said the man. He was quickly becoming angry at the very topic of the conversation. "And he can't just suddenly take the throne! Who would even accept that."

"What if he was married into it," said Jontel, giving Ari a quick glance. "You're being completely unreasonable. There are a dozen ways you could make it happen. Please try. For your son."

Maurizi was listening suddenly. "Marriage?"

Jontel nodded. "That's one option, yes. See, if say..." she paused, giving Ari another quick, wary glance, "he and _I_ were married, and he became the leader of the south council, then things would get better for him, wouldn't you agree?"

Maurizi suddenly looked intrigued. "Jontel, that's actually... that's actually a brilliant idea."

Ari nearly choked on the air. "What?"

The man was smiling, lost in his imagination. ""I'm just aggravated that I hadn't thought of it sooner," he said thoughtfully. "This way Ari'll become a part of the council and he'll get the chance to redeem himself."

"Yes," said Jontel, looking weary again. "That's just _one_ idea..."

Maurizi was shaking his head. "But yes, you see, if you two were married and became the leaders of the south, and my own son became the leader of the north... imagine what that would be like." He would be the first man in history to have two sons as leaders in the council. Something like that had never happened before, and the idea made his skin crawl.

It was silent for a while. "Well," said Ari, standing up from his chair. "As fun as this was, I'm going to go now. Let's just forget this conversation ever happened. "Ari's voice was hard, and he was looking at Jontel. "It was a waste of time. It would never work."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Ari," said Maurizi, standing up himself. "I actually like the idea, and I do think that it's possible. Jontel, I think I'll talk to your father about your proposition and-"

"It was just an idea," said Jontel gently, but clearly suppressing her annoyance. "I wasn't suggesting it."

"Nonsense," said Maurizi, waving her off. "How could I overlook an idea as perfect as that! Honestly, if your willing to take the resk of destroying your reputation to save Ari's, how could we possibly refuse your offer? Tell me, Jontel, when do you think your father would be available to talk? I'd love to have him over for dinner..."

The girl, very much accustomed to Maurizi's greedy attitude, rubbed her hand over her face in desperation. Barely even listening to him, she glanced towards Ari, with the intention to appologize and laugh it off. But Ari was gone.

* * *

><p>Do you ever get the feeling that something is seriously, seriously wrong? That there's some unknown presence among you that isn't supposed to be there? It was this peculiar feeling that crept over Ari, Marcon, and Omega the very moment they teleported back to their ship. The ship seemed a little quieter than usual; it felt a little less safe than it usually felt. It was a strange sensation, an unsettling one, but it was initially dismissed.<p>

The feeling, however, wasn't confirmed until Ari discovered that Sam was not in the prison room, and that the unbreakable metal chain she wore that bound her there had been torn from the wall.


	11. Taken Again

**REVIEW**

Do you ever get the feeling that something is seriously, seriously wrong? That there's some unknown presence among you that isn't supposed to be there? It was this peculiar feeling that crept over Ari, Marcon, and Omega the very moment they teleported back to their ship. The ship seemed a little quieter than usual; it felt a little less safe than it usually felt. But this strange feeling was initially dismissed.

The feeling, however, wasn't confirmed until Ari discovered that Sam was not in the prison room, and that the unbreakable metal chain she wore that bound her there had been torn clean from the wall.

* * *

><p>The moment Ari returned with the words, "She's not there," the ship was turned upside down. The three of them flashed around the ship at a frantic, alarming speed; no room was left unsearched, no corner was left alone.<p>

Sam could not have just vanished into thin air; there was no other place she could be other then somewhere on the ship. So how come they couldn't fing her? And how did she even escape? She didn't even have her stone on her; it was still in Omega's posession. So she couldn't possibly have had the stregnth to break free. Unless somehow the chains were rushy or brittle? Just to make sure this wasn't the case, Ari went back to the girl's cell and took a good look at what remained of the chain that hung from the wall. The silver glistened from the light that was cast in from the doorway. It was not rushy. He tugged on it, but the chain didn't budge from the wall. It was clearly not that the chain was weak, Sam broke free with force somehow.

"That's impossible," said Omega to Ari, once the boy returned with his report on the chain. "She was too drugged up to move, much less break through a solid chain. I made sure of it."

"But today was the day you were supposed to give her another dose," said Marcon quietly, earning a nervous glare from Omega. "The drugs were supposed to leave her system in three days."

"Yeah," said Omega, defeated and half nervous that the girl's escape was his own fault. "But she still couldn't possibly have had the stregnth to break through a chain! It takes time for the drugs to completely ware out."

Ari had his hands pressing on his face. "This is weird," he said. "No matter how she got away, we looked everywhere on this god forsaken ship. How does somebody dissapear without a trace like that?"

"We looked everywhere that she could be," agreed Omega.

Marcon, who was stranding beside Ari, frusterated and nervous, nodded. "How could she find such a good hiding place?"

"Exactly," remarked Omega, who was much more frusterated from the situation than the other two. The only reason he wasn't completely freaking out was because he knew that Sam had to be _somewhere_on the ship. "Esspecially when we know this ship better than she-" but Omega cut himself off and fell silent.

Ari removed his hands from his face and looked at Omega tiredly. "What is it?"

Omega held his hand up in front of Ari, silencing the boy. Ari, in return, narrowed his eyes. "Do you guys feel that?" Omega finally asked. "The ship- its moving."

"Clearly," said Ari after a moment, falling back again the wall in an irritated manor. He could feel the low and steady purrs of his ship's engine rolling down his back at it traveled, and it somehow comforted him. "Are you stupid?"

"The ships on auto-pilot, remember?" Marcon said. "You set it yourself."

"Yes I know," said Omega, backing up towards the hallway that the control room branched off of. "But I set the system on a direct route to home."

Marcon, with his hands on the wall of the ship, trying to feel for anything strange, looked back at the leader wth confusion. "So what?" he asked.

"I can feel the ship turning," Omega said, giving Ari and Marcon a serious look. He was stepping into the hallway. "Did anybody check the control room?"

Ari's body went straight and stiffened as he realized that Omega was right- the ship _was_turning. "I didn't bother because we always keep it locked," Ari said, finally. And beside him, looking nervous, Marcon said, "Same here."

Omega was starting though the hallway now, quietly. "But how the hell did she even get in there?"

"_Wait_," said Marcon, shaking his hands. "How can Sam even be driving this ship? How the hell would she even know-"

"Who the hell _cares_!" growled Ari, fierce and sudden, flying past Omega and shooting down the hallway. "Somehow somebody _other than me_ is driving my ship and that _isn't_working for me!" His hand came down fast on the handle of the control room door, and, almost to his surprise, the door easily clicked open. Somehow Sam must have broken in.

He swung the door open with such speed that it slammed into the wall, and for all he knew it probably left a dent. He'd regret it later, but at the moment he could care less. "_Sam-_"

But he cut himself short and his hands fell limp to his sides, and he stared in disbelief at the person piloting the ship. Omega and Marcon both rounded through the doorway, but instantly froze behind Ari, equally as shocked as the boy before them.

The person at the wheel was not Sam. He was not Sam at all. The man turned around to face the tree teammates at the sound of their approach and gave them a sly, surprised grin. "Well you three are back sooner than I expected."

Ari's breath choked out in a gasp. "_Laru...!_"

He whistled. "I'm surprised you reconize me, _Ari Madigan_!" He looked truely impressed, catching the three of them off guard. "It's been about 7 years! You were still a baby!"

"So were you, idiot," said Ari after a pause, with a mixed expression of confusion and suspision. For a moment he forgot how angry he was and he looked at the man in front of him with a strange sense of was no way Ari would ever forget who Laru was; he just had that sort of unmistakable face. His features were perfectly proportionate, for one thing. And his hair was so white that it seemed to glow in any lighting, and it was slicked back in thick jagged spikes that seemed to jump out from the back of his head, and he had these sideburns that almost-curled durectly out it the other durection. He looked like he'd been struck with lightning; just the same as when Ari first met him. And his alarmingly pale skin, which was rare for their species because of all the sun they got back home, only added to the electric apperance. And he had these piercing black eyes, which seemed to pop out thanks to his seemingly-white exterior. The only things different about him were his newfound height, his surprisingly strong build, and a strange blue tatoo on his cheek that resembled something like a triangle that spiraled in on itself.

Laru was a common man, about 19 years old- close to Omega's age- who lived somewhere in the middle of the giant continant of their home planet. The only reason Ari knew him was because he ran into the boy by chance when he had run away once, which was something he did a lot of when he was young because of the family situation. Ari had found his way into the massive forest that covered most of the land but went in too deep and ended up loosing his way. The young Laru had discovered Ari hiding in the trees one night and saw him to be something like a stray, so he decided to take care of the little boy himself.

Laru was a small kid with big dreams back then. He wanted to make a something that resembled a gang, although he referred to it as a group of brothers all linked tightly together, and had even already began assembling some of the local boys. Laru wasn't happy with their society and wanted to make a statement through rebellian. And the desperate Ari, whose mindset was the same, took an immediate liking towards Laru and was eager to follow him and join the family. But as the "gang" grew larger and as they started becoming a little too serious, their little pranks started becoming more and more dangerous. People started to get hurt, and Ari, scared and very much aware that he was in way over his head, regretfully left the group and found his way back home, leaving the friend he had come to love very much behind without any warning. The two hadn't seen eachother since.

Laru was fully facing them, now, grinning. His eyes were still big, and they seemed to shine with the same thirst for excitement that Ari remembered from so long ago. "But you really have changed, Ari. You're so big now!" Even though he was saying this, he was speaking as if he was talking to a small kid. "But you look so tired, Ari! Don't you sleep?"

Ari withdrew, the anger completely disappearing from his face. "It would seem not, wouldn't it?" He laughed a little, the tension in his shoulders easing away. "You're still the same."

Now it was Laru's turn to laugh. It was rich, and the sound of it heavily contrasted with the light, snickety laugh that rang in Ari's memory. "You'd be surprised."

But Ari suddenly remembered the situation he was in thanks to a small nudge on the back from Marcon, and his smile died in an instant. "How did you get here?"

"I had a friend drop me off," Laru replied easily. He leaned back agaist the controls and propped up his arms against the system, as if he was having the most casual conversation in the world.

Ari cocked an eyebrow and glanced back at Omega and Marcon. Omega gave Ari a strange look, and, nodding, Ari turned back to his old friend. "Why?" Ari asked, his voice once again cold and hard. He noticed that Laru somehow had one of the keys in the ignition of the ship, which was how he was able to take over the controls. The only for Ari's ship was the key that Ari had in his own pocket at the moment. How the hell did Laru get one?

The look on Laru's face was now much different than before. The sinister glare in his eye and the crazed way his lips curled into a grin sent a strange shudder up Ari's back. "I heard about your special mission and I just _had_to come and see how my little baby Ari was doing. So I stopped by."

Ari felt nervous. He didn't know why. It wasn't often that he felt nervous anymore. But something just didn't feel right about this. "How? This was a secret."

"Rumors spread fast, kid," said Laru, grinning.

"But I don't understand-" but Ari's words died off because only then did he notice Sam. She was lying on the ground behind Laru at his feet. And Ari fell absolutly still. Almost as still as Sam was. "What did you do to her?"

"Hmm? Oh, her?" Laru bent down and hauled her up by one arm, earning an angry snarl from Ari. He was holding up the girl with one arm so that her feet dangled on the ground and so her body weight was supported against him. "Strange little thing, isn't she? I found the poor creature all locked up and-"

"Just hand her over, Laru," Ari said, holding out his hand. Sam was still limp as a doll. "_Hand her over._"

"Oh, well, well, well," taunted Laru through a whistle. He was holding- _dangling_- Sam in front of him now. "Look at you! Getting all worked up like that. She's important to you, isn't she?"

"What did you do to her? _Laru-_"

"I just put her to sleep," was all he said in return.

Ari was at a loss for words. And from behind him, Omega spoke. "Please return the girl to us," his words were quiet, and he was trying to be as calm as possible.

"Nah!" Laru said, smiling. He looked so bright compared to the dull and limp Sam that he seemed to be sucking the life right out of her.

Omega was angry; his patience was shot. "Listen, hot-shot. If you don't give back what's ours and get off of this ship immediatly then I _promise_you the instant I get back home I'll-"

"Try any of that," said Laru, and with a quick twist of his body he had Sam's arm behind her back, "And I'll break her arm." Laru looked crazed again, his eyes darkening and his eyes widening dangerously. "And it won't end there." And Omega fell silent.

But the movement caused Sam to wake, and she slowly opened her eyes with a quiet moan. She didn't quite realise what was going on until, in a teasing response to her moan, Laru released her arm and instead put his hand down on her head, applying the slightest pressure. She jumped and tried to glance back at him, but found that she could barely focus. Although she felt a little stronger then before, the drugs in her blood were still pretty strong. She tried to pull away, but the man's grip on her only tightened and she gave up almost immediatly. And so she only blinked emotionlessly at the three aliens before her in an almost uninterested mannor. Being held captive was something she was getting used to.

But Ari, Omega, and Marcon were nowhere near as calm as Sam was. If Sam died, then the power that they desperatly needed from her would vanish. And then this all would have been for nothing. They couldn't risk damaging the girl anymore. "What do you want?" Ari finally asked in defeat, his voice hard. "What do you want for her."

Laru's grin was back and it was wider and fuller than before. But there was a dark gleam in his eye that made the smile look wrong "What I want should be obvious. I will give this strange kid back to you," said Laru, "for the energy source that you brought from earth. And if that doesn't happen, this girl here will die."

Ari's eyes locked with Sam's for a moment. The girl remained still, and showed no emotion other than confusion. And this confusion was clearly due to the fact that she could not understand a single word that was exchanged before Ari and her captor. They were not speaking english, and Sam could only assume that they were speaking the language of their home planet. And so Sam was completely unaware of the real danger that she was in. The only hint of it was the tiny trace of panic that was shown through Ari's eyes, but she barely had the energy to care anymore.

Ari was at a dead end. He couldn't help but feel trapped. By the hands of his old friend everything was falling apart. Laru was willing to trade Sam... for Sam? But how could they give Laru the very object that he sought to destroy when he already unknowingly had in his grasp?


	12. With a Vengance

*** Thanks for all your upport everyone!

**REVIEW**

Ari was at a dead end. He couldn't help but feel trapped. By the hands of his old friend everything was falling apart. Laru was willing to trade Sam... for Sam? But how could they give Laru the very object that he sought to destroy when he already unknowingly had in his grasp?

* * *

><p>"Why do you want it?" demanded Ari. He took a step forward, but the man's grip on the girl twitched dangerously and Ari was forced to fall back.<p>

Laru was grinning like this was some sort of game, which only made it harder for Ari to keep from jumping at him. "Like I said, Ari. A lot of things changed since you last saw me," he was speaking quick and his words were bitter and stressed, and this somehow made him seem all the more manancing. "You remember that little "gang" that you and I were putting together, don't you."

"Yes. How could I forget-" Ari cut himself short with a forced cough when he realized that the corners of his mouth had twitched upward at the memory, and with his lead lowered in a defensive manor, continued. "But that was a long time ago-"

"_That's right_," said Laru. "It was a very, _very_long time ago. And you missed out on more than you can imagine, kid. We're the real thing now."

Ari's eyes widened a little, unable to comprehend what Laru was saying. In bitter disbelief, he repeated, "The real thing?"

"Yeah, kid. I'm not here for my self. I am here," said Laru, his pride shining through his face like a spotlight, "_for Blackherst Pure_."

It was quiet for a moment. And, despite the situation, Ari couldn't help but want to ask him about it. He suddenly had so many questions. And it made him sick to his stomach that he did. How could he care about something like that in a situation like this? Laru could see the hesitation in Ari's face and it made him laugh out suddenly. "We're going to reshape this society," he said, sure and proud, "And to do that we cannot let the the idiots in charge get anymore power than they already have. They are completely corrupt. You of all people should know that, _Ari_. If they get this power then there's no stopping them-"

"You don't get it _at all_," shouted Ari, desperate. "This power isn't going to them, it's going to the planet. It's dying and we can't affort to try and move what's left of the population again. _Don't be stupid, Laru!_If the planet doesn't get this power then everyone is going to die!"

"_Wouldn't that be better, Ari_?" Laru asked. "You used to think so, too. You used to be one of us." His words were once again bitter. "Blackhearst Pure started because of you, kid. You were our living breathing proof that our society is fucked up and something serious has to be done about it." Laru suddenly looked angry, and this caught Ari off guard. "They brought you down on _so many levels_, Ari! But you fought it and found us. And you gave us the inspiration that we needed to fight them. But then you ran back," spat Laru, "and now, by delivering that power to them only proves that you _are_one of them. You're trying to get them to like you, even though there's no way in hell they will! You're no longer the Ari that I remember. They changed you into somebody else."

Ari couldn't answer. He couldn't help it, but some of what Laru was saying was true. But Laru was wrong about one thing. "I was young and I was _terrified out of my mind_of what you were doing, Laru! I didn't want anybody to get hurt! I went back because I was scared, not for them. And by doing this, I'm just trying to earn my own respect," said Ari, weakly. "I'm doing this for myself-"

"Don't even start," snarled Laru, firecly jerking Sam in the process. "By stopping what your about to do, we're going to prove once and for all that they have nothing on us. By destroying this power- thing that they need more than anything else right now, their _only hope_- we're going to-"

"You're going to kill everybody off-" snarned Omega, pushing past Marcon. The two had been silently watching the stranger the entire time, paying careful attention to his words. "You have no clue what your about to do-"

"I know _exactly_what I'm doing," said Laru calmly. "Blackheart Pure is about to demonstrate the ultimate rebellion. But I'm done explaining. Just hand over the power and I won't hurt this kid."

Laru's hand dangerously traced the outline of Sam's thin neck, and she looked up at him in a strange stare. "What does he want, Ari," she asked. Taken off guard by the strange and unfamiliar language, Laru looked at Ari expectantly and asked, in their home language, "What language is this?"

But Ari ignored Laru's question and, watching him cautiously, Ari said to Sam in english, "You." And after a moment, upon seeing the confusion in Sam's face and confident that Laru didn't have a clue what he was saying to the girl, he added, "He wants the power that we brought from earth. But he doesn't know that its you. He says he's going to kill you if we don't give him the power but-"

"_Hey, hey, hey!_" interupted Laru. "What's all this whispering about? If I don't have the power in my hand in ten seconds it'll be over for this girl. _Ten_."

After a second of thinking about the situation and watching her new captor carefully for a moment, she said, "What are you going to do about it?" asked Sam Ari, her voice low. And while slight traces of fear were beginning to form across on her face, they were somehow overwhelmed with strange signs of indifference.

"_Nine_," said Laru. "_Eight_."

"I don't know," Ari said to Sam. Somehow he wasn't able to keep himself as calm as he usually was able to. "I don't see how-"

"_Seven_," said Laru, his voice hardening.

"I personally don't care," said Sam with a slight sigh. She herself couldn't tell if this was a lie or not. "I'm going to die ether way."

"_Six. Five_." Laru's voice was growing louder. "Time's running out."

Ari's jaw tightened. Sam's words were annoying, but he knew they were true. And lack of cooperation was seriously pissing him off. "You're an idiot."

"_Four_." Laru's voice was a warning, and the sound made Ari's stomach flip into his throat. "_Three_."

"I was in over my head in the first place," said Sam, once again looking up at the man holding her. She still had no clue who he was or what he was saying. But at this point she didn't care. And, staring at Ari with an overwhelming sense of scorn and detest in her eyes, she said, "At least you won't win this way."

Laru took an impatient breath. "Two."

Ari was so stupified by the girl's words that for a moment he couldn't hear anything. He felt very numb with not only the overwhelming presence of hate in her eyes, but also with the sharp realization that she was right. In a momennt all of this would be for nothing.

"One." And suddenly Laru's hand wrapped itself at an inhuman speed around Sam's throat, forcing a sharp gasp out of her.

"_No!_" shouted Ari fiercly. But in the next instant he was gone. And suddenly Sam felt something slam against her back and she was sent flying foward. Unable to gain her balance, she stumbled across the room and crashed into Omega, whose sad attempt to catch her resulted with them both on the ground, with Sam beside him in a shocked and shaking clump. The girl didn't move after that. She waited to feel the burn against her back of the deadly blow that she had just recieved from the strange man. She waited to feel the warmth of her blood leak through torn flesh. She waited to feel the sharp and painful snap of broken bones. However, she somehow felt nothing.

She turned around, but where she expected the man to be was Ari, his back was facing her and his blades drawn. And, on the floor against the base of the control panel, sat her captor, with a mix of shock and confusion across his face. It was only then that Sam realized what had happened. Ari had teleported in the middle of them and pushed Sam away. And from the looks of it the strange man had just fully realized it too. His shocked expression melted into that of absolute fury, and he hauled himself up.

The strange man held out his hand and in an instant the air formed into a long and silver scythe. And across the sharp and smoothe blade was a blue design that Sam reconized to be the same as on the stranger's cheek.

"Come here, Marcon," Ari quietly said. He did not look back. And, smiling, making the first movement that he had just about the entire time, Marcon jumped to Ari's side with a flash of dark excitement. "We'll take care of this. Get Sam out of here, Omega." And before the stranger even had the time to protest, Omega took fierce hold of Sam and was out of the door in a flash.

Sam didn't really know what was going on. And she started to thrash and scream, "Put me _down_! Let me go right now-" But to quiet her he threw her over his shoulder. But after a moment of silently staying still on top of him- almost a little _too_still- Sam began to kick and kick again until Omega finally had to dodge into the nearest room to hide and he shut the door with a sharp snap. He grabbed her off his shoulder threw her against the metal wall of the ship zo hard that her head slammed against it with a hard snap.

Sam had one of her hands behind her back and Omega couldn't quite tell if it was because he hurt her or not. But then again, he didn't really care. "All I'm trying to do is get you out of there! Why won't you stay still for even a second!" he hissed in her face. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"_You're just going to kill me anyway! Why are you even bothering!_" Sam screamed. She tried to punch him but without her stone she wasn't strong, and Omega easily took hold of her wrists.

"_You're useless to us if you die-_" he started, but when Sam threw a sharp kick at his leg Omega lost his train of thought and he quickly spun her around so that her face was digging against the wall. He went to grab her hands to hold her down, but they were already in between her body and the wall so he didn't have to worry about keeping them still. And so, when she started to scream again, he was able to use both his hands to shut her mouth completely.

"_Why the hell are you screaming!_" Omega shouted at her. "_No one is here to save you!_"

Sam didn't quite know it herself. She knew that she was going to lose no matter what. She knew that. But at the same time she didn't want Omega to win. She didn't want Ari to win, or Marcon, ether. If anybody but them won it would be fine with her-

Sam heard the stab long before she realized that Omega had been pulled away from her. She heard the blade meet flesh, and the noise rung in her ears in a loud hiss. And then she felt it. She felt the burning, the stinging, the _pain_. As she turned her hear to look at her arm, she felt a big hand slowly grab the back of her head and press it against the wall. And she found herself staring at the scythe of the stranger. It did not slice through her entire arm like Sam had first thought. It's edge had pierced through the side of the top of her arm and was driven into the wall from the sheer force that had been used on it. And, while it was not keeping her up against the wall, Sam found herself terrified and unable to move away from it and pull her arm out. She couldn't help but think that the scythe had suddenly become like a cork to her. And that if it was removed, everything inside would come out.

"Did you think it would be that easy?" asked a strained voice from behind. Even though the words weren't in english, it was easy to tell that it was the strangers. It was breathless and shaken. Even the hand the rested against the back of her head was trembling. He was suddenly so worn after only a few moments, and his desperation was beginning to show in his actions.

What happened next surprised both Sam and her captor. Ari and Marcon appeared in the doorway in a breath. When they saw Sam once again in Laru's grasp and Omega lying on the floor, uncouncious dampened in a tiny puddle of blood that gathered around the base of his head that was clearly due to a blow, Ari froze. But Marcon didn't. Almost immediatly Marcon was flying towards Laru in a ferocious manor that seemed to shock both him and Sam. Laru seemed so surprised that Marcon had actually advanced and was unprepared for the attack. It was like he assumed that they would back off once they that Sam was in his grasp.

Sam just couldn't conprehend the expression on that little boy's face when he attacked. She hadn't seen anything so absolutly _sinister_looking as far as she could remember. Was it normal for a boy as young as Marcon- for Sam could tell that he was significantly younger than she- to have such bloodthirst in his eyes?

Marcon jumped on Laru's back and pryed him and his scythe off of Sam, who would have fallen to the ground if Ari hadn't appeared out of nowhere to stop her. Hoisting her up and supporting her limp and numb body against him and covering her would with his hand in an attempt to stop the bleeding, he looked at Marcon, who was fiercly squaring against Laru around the room. Sam, who couldn't bring herself to look away, found herself staring in disbelief at the way that Marcon moved. She'd never seen somebody move so fast! She'd never seen anybody move and spin and wield a weapon like that! Not even Ari! Sam could barely even see the two long and hooked daggers that Marcon was wielding against his opponent as he whirled them around. And her captor, who seemed equally as bewhildered as Sam was, could barely keep up with the tiny boy and, while he clearly outsized Marcon, he was clearly outmatched.

"Ari," choked Marcon their own language. Through the heavy strain in his voice Sam could easily tell that he was having a much more difficult time than he made it seem. "_Get Sam home_! We're close enough to teleport there safely!" Laru's scythe came down hard on him and Marcon was almost crushed under it. Holding it up with his daggers, he glanced at Ari in an almost wild-like manor. It seemed that well Marcon had skill, Laru had stregnth. "Get her out of the way and come back and _help me_, goddammit!" Marcon was forcing his words out with quick desperate gasps.

"But-" Ari began.

"_Go!_" screamed Marcon, just about crushed by Laru's weight. "_She is the priority! If Laru kills Sam the entire planet will be screwed-_"

Laru fell back almost instantly, and eyes were suddenly very still on the tiny girl in Ari's arms. And it was only then that Ari realized Marcon's mistake.

"That girl," Laru said, his grip on his scythe tightening. The sudden relief of force that he had been pressing down onto Marcon sent the boy tumbling backwards on th groung with a hard moan. "That girl is the power?"

Ari didn't answer, and responded with nothing more then bared teeth. They were found out, and now Sam was in danger for real. And while Ari didn't want to leave Marcon alone on the ship with Laru out of fear for the kid's life, even if it would only be a moment, Ari knew that Marcon was right. Sam _was_the priority. And he grabbed her into him.

Laru, his determination back and his smiling face lit with a mix of crazed anger, started for them. It would seem that he had overlooked his own target. How could he have been so stupid? The girl was obviously important to them, so how did he not notice it before? "Don't you dare-"

"I'll be right back, Marcon," Ari promised, quick and angery. And Laru's smile fell instantly and horror suddenly consumed his face at the realization of what Ari was going to do.

Sam felt the world begin to disapear around her, and with a fierce and terrified, "_No!_", she desperatly tried to break away from Ari's grip. But his stregnth outmatched hers and it was no good. They were halfway gone- Sam could feel the spinning sensation crawling up her body in a sickening way- when the girl swiftly grabbed Ari by the collar of his jacket, and she yanked his face close so that he looking at her. "_Take me back home!_" she shrieked.

That did it. And she knew that she had done it solely from the horrified expression the suddenly flooded Ari's face. But as he opened his mouth to shout out in a panicked and frantic protest, they disapeared.

And it was suddenly quiet. Laru fell to the floor, staring in blank shock at the spot that his target had been a moment ago. All that planning, all that research, all that hard work had been for nothing. He was so _close_but he alone managed to screw up the most vital and important mission that Blackhearst Pure had ever tried to accomplish.

Marcon, staring as well, suddenly felt very, very cold. It was because Marcon knew very well that Ari did not go home. When their kind teleported, they needed to focus their entire mind on the destination that they desired. But at that moment, Ari was not thinking about their home planet. The girl's had planted her own in his head.

And Ari was probably dead now.


	13. What I Wanted

*******_I just want to say that yes, this is also on smackjeeves! I decided that I wanted to make it into a comic (even though I'm not going to take it too seriously, I'm going to think of it more as practice!)_

**REVIEW**

Laru fell to the floor, staring in blank shock at the spot that his target had been a moment ago. All that planning, all that research, all that hard work had been for nothing. He was so close but he alone managed to screw up the most vital and important mission that Blackhearst Pure had ever tried to accomplish. It was painfully obvious that they would never get another chance like this again.

Marcon, staring as well, suddenly felt very, very cold. It was because Marcon knew very well that Ari did not go home. When their kind teleported, they needed to focus their entire mind on the destination that they desired. But at that moment, Ari was not thinking about their home planet. The girl had planted her own in his head.

And Ari was probably dead now.

* * *

><p>One moment she was standing, locked in Ari's iron grasp, but once the world spiraled back into place Sam found herself on the ground on her stomach, and she could no longer feel Ari's arms around her. And, before she even had the chance to open her eyes, she was suddenly and painfully throwing up. Overwhelmed by the violent vomiting and the heavy nausea, the girl could still not quite work her eyes open.<p>

But she could feel a breeze. She could smell the fresh air. And underneath her white, fist-clenched palms was something soft; something that felt like grass. And so didn't need to see anything to know that she was no longer on Ari's ship. And so Sam began to shake.

She was shaking because she knew that she was on Ari's planet now. And soon she would be killed in order to ensure this planet's safety. And so, terrified, she weakly pushed herself up onto all fours and waited to be grabbed and bound again and taken away to die. She did not plan on fighting them anymore when she could hardly even stand. She was out of options.

But moments passed, and she remained untouched. She heard nothing but silence.

Anxious and confused, Sam slowly opened her eyes. But what she saw sent ice shooting through her veins and froze her. What she saw in front of her was not a strange and unfamiliar world. What she saw was Matt's front door.

She wasn't sure if this was an illusion or not. But how could it be real? Why would Ari have taken her home? Maybe she was dreaming. Or maybe she was already dead and her ghost had come back to the place she wanted to be the most.

Slowly and hesitantly, the girl crawled towards the door and lightly placed the palms of her hands on it. The wood felt cool and inviting to her touch. They very realization that she was actually able to touch it sent a volt through her.

"This is real," she breathed, leaving her hands on the door. She couldn't be dreaming this up. There was no way something in her mind could feel so real. And, as Sam's denial of the situation drained away, the girl's head slowly feel forward and bumped into the door and, resting against it, Sam could feel tears begin to gather at the corners of her eyes, and she could feel a soft and small smile begin to form on her lips. And, continuously and almost silently, the words, "Yes, yes," began to leak out of her mouth.

But she fell silent when she heard the slow sound of footsteps crunching in the grass from behind her, and her body went still. The steps slowed stopped behind her at somewhat of a distance, and, sick and cold as her relief drained from her, Sam turned, expecting to see Ari standing there, ready to take her back.

But the boy she saw was not Ari. Matt was standing there, completely still. He was watching Sam with a strangely empty stare that would have put Sam on edge if she wasn't so happy to see him. She wanted to get up and run to him, but her body felt weak and heavy under his gaze, and the only thing she did was cry harder.

She was muttering his name over and over again, trying desperately hard to make out a full sentence, as she tried to shove away her tears with her fists. But the strong emotions that she was feeling were preventing her from making any sense. She couldn't even move off of the doorstep.

"I'm… I'm…" Sam quietly choked, still pushing away at her face. "Matt, I'm finally…" She heard him move towards her and she suddenly felt his hands tightly grab on to her face, and the familiar touch sent fire into her cheeks and chest. Opening her blurred and teary eyes, she found his face looking down at her with an expression that seemed to be a mix of alarm and shock. "…back," she finished. And she started to cry for real.

Matt did nothing but stare at her. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. Sam had been gone for over a week, and he had just begun to lose hope of ever seeing her again. And now here she was, sitting on his doorstep. She looked exactly the same as she had the day she disappeared. It was like she was waiting all this time for him to come home.

He was pulling her face closer and closer to his before he even realized what he was doing. His mouth lightly brushed against hers, quick and light and warm, and the quiet words, "_Thank God_," escaped from him. And then he was suddenly crushing her into him with all his might. And, struggling out from between them, the girl's arms found their way around Matt.

Sam could feel his tears on her skin, and she could also feel his shaking grin against neck. She could feel him laughing into her. "I thought I'd never see you again," he said, pulling away. This was the only thing he could bring himself to say. It was like everything else that he had wanted to tell her if she ever came back home vanished fron his mind completely. He held her in front of him firmly by her shoulders and watched her, drinking her up. But his smile faded and his eyes narrowed when he saw her flinch a little against his touch. And it was just then that he noticed the strange sensation of something warm running through his hand, and he pulled away his hand and looked at it. Gasping at the blood that he saw on his palm, he tore the sleeve of her tee-shirt up and jumped at the sight of the gash. With his jaw hanging open and his hand fiercely holding her arm up, he sharply growled. "_Jesus Christ, Sam!_You're bleeding! What the hell happened! How did you get this?"

Sam shook her head and put her hand over Matt's, grabbing onto it. It was like she was preparing herself to grab onto him in case simply recalling where she had been for the last week would somehow send her back. But the entire incident with the strange man was confusing, so no matter how hard the girl tried she couldn't really come up with a simple explanation for it. She was too overwhelmed with the reality that she was home again to think straight. "It's not important," she said finally, not wanting to talk about it. "I just-" but her words fell silent, and her eyes were suddenly fixed on something behind Matt that made her blood run cold.

Matt, confused and angry, turned to follow Sam's gaze, and when he saw what she did he nearly jumped back into her. "_Holy crap_," gasped Matt. "_That's..!_"

Sam was on her feet in an instant, pushing in front of Matt's protective gasp and blocking him from the body that was laying on the floor. "Ari..!"

Although his face was turned away from them, it was easy to tell that it was Ari after all. The alien was lying on the ground, silent and unmoving. Had he been there the entire time?

Matt took hold of Sam's wrist suddenly and, standing up, he tugged her back towards him. "Get in the house," he said, his voice faltering and his eyes locked on Ari. And, nodding, Sam followed Matt as he opened the door and stepped through. But, before she closed the door behind her, the girl looked back at the still boy, a strange feeling creeping over her. A bad feeling.

"Sam?" Matt asked from behind her, a little stern. "What are you waiting for? Close the door-"

"I don't think he's awake," she said, still staring at the body. She took an unsure step out the door, but Matt took a firm hold on her wrist, stopping her. When Sam looked back at him, his surprisingly angry face nearly made her jump. "_What are you thinking?_," he demanded, his grip on her tightening. "That's the bastard that kidnapped you! Hurt or not, why would you ever even _think_about getting anywhere close to him?"

Sam couldn't answer him. The only response she showed Matt were her frenzied and scared eyes. "I know, I know! But I just can't... I just..." she couldn't finish her sentence. And she suddenly found that she couldn't look at Matt, even though the manor of his grip was practically demanding her attention and cooperation. "If he's hurt..."

"Why not?" asked Matt, his gaze flickering back and fourth from Sam to Ari. "You're hurt too, dammit! The last thing I'm gonna do is worry about _him_. He's dangerous! You of all people should know that! Get inside," he said. He tugged her a little, loosing his patience. "_Please_."

Sam's face pinched and she cradled her wounded arm at Matt's reminder. Even though by now her body had grown quite numb to the wound, Matt was right in every way possible. Ari was a danger to her more than anyone else. But, even though it was Ari, she had never meant for anybody to get hurt. And, without looking at the Matt, she pulled her hand away from him and made her way Ari.

Matt was right behind her in an instant. He had no intention of letting Sam put herself in risk, so he was ready to push her out of the way if the alien that was laying in front of them tried anything. But Sam was right: he wasn't moving. He wasn't moving _at all_. The girl crouched down by the alien's head, being careful not to touch him. Silently, she watched him, waiting for some type of movement- waiting for _anything_.

After a few moments of absolutely nothing, Matt glanced down at Sam only to see all the color drain from her face. She slowly raised a shaking arm and placed it on his neck, earning a shocked jump from Matt at the bold movement. And when she pulled her hand away, her mouth was hanging open in disbelief.

"He isn't breathing," Sam muttered, shocked. "And I don't feel a pulse."

Matt's eyes narrowed in shock. "What?" he asked. A little shaken himself, Matt lowered himself and put his hand to the alien's throat to feel for himself. And he pulled away with a gulp, nodding. Sam was right. And, nearly in the silence of a breath, Matt managed, "He's... _dead_."

At his words Sam jumped up. The mix of alarm and panic in her face shone clear as she quickly glanced around before her eyes finally fell on Matt. But she only looked at him for an instant before ducking back down and grabbing hold of one of Ari's arms. She began to pull, but the effort made her wound sting and, growling against the pain, Sam looked at Matt. "Don't just stand there! Help me move him!"

Confused by the terrified tone in Sam's voice, Matt slowly bend down and wrapped his hands around Ari's arms. And, following Sam's orders, Matt helped her drag the alien across the lawn, into the backyard, and into the wooden path.

When they finally made it far enough into the path so that they wouldn't be seen or heard, Sam and Matt placed him on the dirt. A little out of breath, Matt looked at Sam just as she fell to Ari's side again. And the next thing he knew, she was slapping the alien's face as hard as she could.

"_Sam!_," shouted Matt, shocked, as he fell down to the ground too. He reached over Ari and fiercely grabbed her wrists to stop her. Looking at her desperately, he yelled, "_What the hell are you doing_!"

When Sam looked up at she had the strangest look of terror that Matt had ever seen. He didn't understand at all. How was it that while Ari's death gave him relief, it was putting Sam over the edge? "Why are you acting like this?" Matt asked. He was growing frustrated, but at the same time he was scared for the strange way that Sam was acting. Did they do something to her while they held her prisoner to change her behavior? This wasn't the same Sam that he had known a week ago, it couldn't be. "He's dead! He's one less thing to worry about! Stop acting like this!"

Fiercely tearing herself from Matt, she slammed her hands hard onto Ari's chest, like she was trying to beat the life back into him. "_Don't you get it?_" Sam shrieked. "_Death is the end of everything!_Everything you ever worked for is gone! Everything you ever said or thought or did or wanted is nothing anymore! And I don't want that to happen to anybody! Even him!" She was gripping onto Ari's shirt to tightly that her hands had gone white to match her face. Her eyes were open, tears once again threatening to spill out, and her face was faced down towards Ari's body. "For a long time now," she continued, shakily, "All I'd been saying to myself is that someday I'll kill Ari. That someday I'd kill him and everybody else who was trying to take me away from you. But I was only kidding myself. I was never strong enough to do that. I was never brave enough to do that." She was finding it hard to speak clearly, and her words were slow and quiet. "And when I'd run out of time and Ari finally had me, when I had finally lost, I realized that I was looking forward to my death. I was looking forward to the day when I wouldn't have to fight anymore. To when I could just stop."

The girl was quiet again, and Matt, still crouched in front of her, was speechless. And, after a moment of silence, Sam gently continued. "But I realized that, at the same time, I was scared to die. I wanted the fighting to stop, but I didn't want to die." She looked up at the boy in front of her, and while her cheeks were tear-stained, her eyes looked certain. "I had a lot of time to think after they took me," she said. "And I finally realized that death is the end of everything. If I died, I would never go back to earth. I'd never see you again. I don't think there's a heaven or hell to go to. I would just be gone forever. And I wouldn't get a second chance to live the right way. And that isn't what I want."

Matt had his hand on her shoulder now, trying his best to comfort her when he knew that nothing he could say would make her feel better. He didn't know what he could say to make her stop. He didn't even know what to think. He just wanted her to know he was there.

"I realized that I'm afraid of disappearing," Sam said softly. She was tired now- a little worn. "And so I realized that I would rather live on struggling than disappear."

Matt was looking down at her, seriously trying to process what she was saying. "I understand," he said, even though he really didn't. "But Ari isn't the one I'm going to cry over, Sam. And you shouldn't ether. He can't bother you anymore so-"

"Did you hear anything I just said?" shouted Sam, her face pinching together again. Her entire body felt like it was jumping, like there was static running through her veins. "_Ari just disappeared!_ The thing that I'm afraid of the most just happened to him and _it's all my fault_!"

At her words, Sam's eyes shot open in unrestrained emotion. And Matt, staring in disbelief, fell back in shock because, for a split second, the girl's eyes didn't look blue. They looked _yellow_. But the boy blinked and they were blue again, and Matt fell loose on the ground, confused. If he was seeing stupid things like that he must have been more worked up then he though. And, after a moment, the boy asked, slow and cautions, "How is it your fault?"

Sam shrank back, her hands still on Ari, and looked to the side, her face once again pinched. And, almost angrily, she said, "I didn't realize what happened when I first saw him lying on the ground. But as we were dragging him here I think I figured it out. Ari meant to bring me to his planet from the ship," she said. Her tone was almost menacing. "But I screamed for him to bring me home, and I must have distracted him because he did." She looked back at Matt regretfully. "He had told me once before that teleporting huge distances is dangerous for them. That it could kill them." Sinking into the ground, Sam let her blurred eyes scan Ari's face. "I've never killed anybody before."

Matt's mouth opened slightly as the pieces fell together. "That's not your fault at all," he said, slowly, still a little unsure. "What happened, happened. You just wanted to come home-"

Sam's jaw clenched, and she slammed her fists on the alien's chest again. "You're not listening to me! I just wanted him to leave me alone! I didn't want him to die! I absolutely hate Ari more than anybody but I'm sure he had problems and dreams and people he loved, just like I do! And that's all gone now!"

But suddenly Sam felt a strong shudder from underneath her, and she looked down at Ari's body with a look of absolute shock on her face. And Matt, who could clearly see the movement from where he was. "_He moved_?" Matt asked. His words were quick and sharp and panicked. "_That's impossible!_He didn't have a pulse!"

Sam, who was staring down at the body in shock, realized that her hands were still on him and she tore away from the alien faster then she thought she could ever move in her current state. She jumped around Ari and shrank by Matt's side. She was at a loss for words and so she just stood there, her mouth hanging open. She didn't even know what to think. Her mind had suddenly gone numb.

When the alien's eyelids began to flicker, Matt was quick and ready. Grabbing hold of Sam, he said, "Shit, we're going back to the house." And, upon seeing Sam's confused hesitation, said, "_Now_." And Sam, more than willing to cooperate with Matt now that the threat before them was waking up, sharply followed the boy as he turned and sprinted for the end of the path.

Matt was not about to take any chances. And so when he finally reached the end of the path he did not look back. He ran straight for the house, eager to get himself and Sam into safety. Sam, however, stopped for a brief moment at the edge of the wood. Looking back into the trail, her uneasiness clear in her eyes, she saw the body of Ari, lying in the same spot. However, even from the distance, Sam could easily see that his face was turned over towards her now, and his eyes were open and watching her.

Sam was frozen in his stare for a long moment. Ari did not move otherwise or say anything at all. He just held the girl in place with that tired and confused gaze of his. And he somehow seemed different. Or maybe it was Sam who was the one feeling strange? Now that Sam was once again looking into those dangerous amber eyes of his- the eyes that she never expected to open again- she realized that, although she wasn't _happy_that Ari was alive, she felt a strange feeling of relief settle into her that strongly clashed with the realization that he was now going to come after once again for sure. A sense of gratitude that her hands were still clean. Shaking her head slightly, her mind jittering as it tried to function properly, Sam finally backed away from the wood and ran to the house to Matt, disappearing from Ari's view and leaving him by himself.

Alone, Ari did nothing more then move his gaze from the end of the path to the tree branches hanging above him. He was in shock. And he somehow felt weaker than he had felt in the longest time. When he had left the ship, with Sam's home in his mind instead of his own planet, he never expected to open his eyes again. He didn't think he'd survive teleporting such an impossible distance. He _shouldn't_have survived. And yet, somehow, he was still breathing, and very much alive. He did nothing but lay there silently and sorely for a long while. He couldn't move his much body even if he wanted to. He could barely even think straight. The only thing in his head right now was somehow Sam.

Letting his eyes fall shut again in an exhausted and breathless manor, he tilted his head back slightly, in an effort to test himself out. "How strange," he muttered to himself, with the faintest smile spread across his face. His words were just barely a breath. "You just keep becoming stranger, _Sam_." And he drifted away again.


	14. Square One

**REVIEW**

Alone, Ari did nothing more then move his gaze from the end of the path to the tree branches hanging above him. He was in shock. And he somehow felt weaker than he had felt in the longest time. When he had left the ship, with Sam's home in his mind instead of his own planet, he never expected to open his eyes again. He didn't think he'd survive teleporting such an impossible distance. He shouldn't have survived. And yet, somehow, he was still breathing, and very much alive. He did nothing but lay there silently and sorely for a long while. He couldn't move his much body even if he wanted to. He could barely even thing straight. The only thing in his head right now was somehow Sam.

Letting his eyes fall shut again in an exhausted and breathless manor, he tilted his head back slightly, in an effort to test himself out. "How strange," he muttered to himself, with the faintest smile spread across his face. His words were just barely a breath. "You just keep becoming stranger, _Sam_." And he drifted away again.

* * *

><p>He was sitting at the end of her bed cross-legged, watching the Sam burrow further into her sheets in an overwhelmingly appreciative manor. She was exhausted, clearly, and all the excitement that just took place in the house probably didn't help. She had eaten way more food then Matt could even picture fitting into her and she had consumed enough water to fill a river, or so it seemed. And she had taken the longest bath in the world; so long that Matt was sure the water had turned ice cold. But, even if that was the case, the girl sure didn't care.<p>

And when his mom had finally come home from work to find Sam there, the woman's overpowering enthusiasm and emotion just about crushed the girl. Of course she was more than happy to see Cynthia, but Sam didn't like the attention and it clearly made her feel uncomfortable. And the non-stop questions his mom threw at her asking where Sam had been for the past week her seemed to drain Sam even more. The girl had to come up every excuse under the sun in an instant in order to avoid telling the woman the truth. Matt couldn't help but be impressed with the way that Sam was able to weasel her way out of the hundreds of questions. But then the woman offered -insisted, rather- to take her into questioning to see if they could track her kidnappers down, but Sam said she wanted to forget about it and put it behind her. But when the woman kept at it, all Sam said in her small, worn and desperate and pathetic sounding voice was, "I'm tired." And Cynthia dropped everything- at least for the time being.

Matt wanted to know what had happened to Sam more then anything. But he didn't want to ask. The bits of information that Sam had given him about where she had been didn't sound pleasant, and Matt was afraid to bring it up. She looked happy now- if you could call it happiness- after all, buried inside the covers that smelled like her home, and the boy didn't want to interrupt that. Crawling across the bed, he propped himself up beside her. Sam, poking her head out of the covers just slightly, unwilling to let the cool air in, watched Matt. "Hi."

Giving her a small, pathetic smile, he said hello back. Reaching under the covers to sweep the frizzy hair from her face, he said, "You must be tired." His smile was gone now. Slowly, his hands traveled down the length of her autumn hair and his fingers found the deep, raw indentations that had formed on her shoulders from the chain that Sam had wore. The marks were still there, and they didn't show much signs of fading. And nudging the sheets up just enough so he could see her arm, the boy's eyes fell on the bandaged gash on her arm. It was deep and was still bleeding a little after all this time, and Matt felt himself sink when he realized that it would scar. A new one to add to her growing collection.

Watching Matt as he tracing over the marks with his hands, the unmoving girl let out a quiet sigh, and let her eyes shut. While she was more then happy to be home again, she had the uneasy feeling that nothing was going to change. She would be forced to continue fighting soon enough. And, because of her, Matt would be in danger again. And so would his mom. And not to mention the hundreds of other people living in the town that would more than likely be exposed to the danger. She was quite sure that the aliens wouldn't be happy that she had gotten away, and so she was expecting hell when she would have to face them again. She could not associate being home with being safe.

Concentrating on Matt's touch- on the hand that belonged to the person that she cared about the most- she couldn't help but dwell on the thought that Ari was living. She had the perfect opportunity to kill him and finally get rid of one of the threats that stood against her while the alien was out cold, but she somehow stood by and actually _prayed_that he would wake up, like the idiot that Sam was.

The thought of her behavior towards Ari earlier that day made her sick, and her body withered slightly at the memory. She should have killed him. That would have been the smart thing to do. And yet killing somebody, even Ari, seemed very wrong. She wasn't too sure if it would have been the right thing to do, but if it protected Matt then it was right, as far as Sam was concerned. But even so, the thought of murdering anybody made Sam sick and afraid. And so, because of her cowardice and her sick inability to bring herself to properly protect the people that matter to her, Ari was still alive. And it was too late to do anything about him anymore. Because, although Ari seemed incapable of doing much when Sam had left him alone in the woods after he woke up, she somehow knew he would be gone by now. She had missed her chance. And now she felt like some traitor.

"Stop thinking," Matt said, sudden and bitter. The girl, a little surprised at his tone, looked up at him in confusion. Matt, looking down at her with scornful eyes, lifted his hand from her neck and placed it over her eyes, gently pressing them shut. "It's easy to tell that you're still beating yourself up over everything that happened. Cut it out. Just focus on getting your strength back and forget about everything else for now." His hand pressed against her slightly in a way that assured Sam that he was there, and that he was serious. "You're home now, and that's all that matters."

Sam opened her mouth to protest, but Matt cut her off by saying, "When I take my hand away, I expect you to be sleeping." His voice was a stern warning.

Sam listened, and didn't answer. Finding comfort in her stone, which she clutched tightly against herself under the sheets, the girl fell perfectly and silently and comfortably still, for the first time in a very long while.

* * *

><p>"You're one lucky sonovabitch," said Omega, laying Ari down on his bunk. The three of them were in the ship, which was once again hovering just outside the earth's atmosphere. When and Ari Sam had gone back to earth, Laru soon enough disappeared too. His target was gone and out of reach, so he had no reason to continue fighting them. And just about immediately Marcon turned the ship right back around and headed for the earth again. "Marcon told me what happened after I was knocked out. How the hell are you still alive?"<p>

Ari watched Omega and Marcon through one half-opened eye as they both towered over him, eager for an answer. But when all they got was a grunt as Ari's reply, they quickly grew frustrated.

"When we finally got back to Earth we expected to pick up your stinking rotting corpse," snarled Marcon. "But when we finally found you, you were half dead in some god forsaken alley lying on your stomach like some god forsaken slug! Nobody has _ever_ teleporting a distance like that! And you know that! I saw it in your eyes before you disappeared! You thought you were going to die too! _What happened?_"

"Jeez, give me some space, will you?" growled Ari, pushing Marcon away by the face. "I don't know, alright? I just remember waking up and crawling to someplace safe. It doesn't matter what happened." he paused and his eyes flickered to the wall, and Marcon and Omega leaned in closer expecting him to have remembered something, or give them some deep physiological hypothesis as to why he had survived. But all he said was "I'm fucking hungry."

That earned him a good and hard slap in the face from Omaga. Hoisting Ari up by his shirt and completely ignorant to the fact that Ari's body wasn't exactly in a good enough condition to be shaken up even just a little, Omega growled in the younger boy's face, "I really couldn't care less if you were on the verge of starvation. Do you even realize what you just did? You made history! If we could figure out how you survived teleporting a distance like that it would start a major turning point for our race! And all you can care about is-"

"I didn't do anything different!" snapped Ari, pushing his was out of Omega's grip. Falling back down onto his cot, he hissed, "I just teleported the way I normally do. Nothing else." His hands dangerously scratched away at his face in annoyance. "Listen, I'm not going to just sit here and ask questions about what happened like you two idiots. We're obviously not going to figure it out, so leave me _alone_and let me get some sleep, goddamit!" Turning over so that his face was buried in the mattress, he said, "Like Omega said, I guess I'm just one lucky sonovabitch."

Omega was shaking his head, eyeing Ari suspiciously. With a tired sigh, he said, "I suppose your right. For now, lets just get back to business. We're far behind schedule and we have to get Sam back on this ship as soon as possible. Looks like were back to square one."

Marcon, sitting on the end of Ari's bunk just out of Ari's kicking range, scoffed. "Not exactly. It won't take us any time at all," he said, disappointed and angry. "You still have her stone on you anyway, right Omega?"

Omega's face lit up in an instant. "Right, I do. I guess this won't take too long at all," he said, patting his pocket confidently. But confusion crept into his eyes and his hands were suddenly darting across his body, patting every square inch of the fabric that covered his body. "W-what-?" he choked. "I'm sure it was-"

But suddenly Omega's entire body went frigid and he felt the color drain from his face. "Crap."

Ari was watching Omega critically from under his hand. "You lost it, didn't you?"

"_No_, I did not _lose_it," he said defensively. He turned from his teammates to hide the embarrassment in his eyes. "That damn girl stole it."

Marcon's jaw dropped. "What? How could she have gotten it? How do you know-"

"During the commotion that Laru caused I had to pick her up to get her away from him because she wasn't cooperating. And she must have taken it from my pocket." Omega explained. His words sounded forced and he looked furious now. "I should have realized it! She was hiding her hands from me! It was so _obvious_, dammit!" And suddenly Omega's leg jumped out from underneath him and crashed into Ari's bunk, making the furniture buckle into the air a little. "_Watch it_," Ari hissed.

"Calm down, you phyco," said Marcon, holding his hands up defensively. "It's not like this is a problem. I should go down there and give her a piece of my mind," said Marcon, pointing at himself in a conceited manor. "I'll bring her back for sure."

But Ari, with his face still pressed into his bunk, was quick to snap, "_No_, you freaking pipsqueak. You're too young to go by yourself."

"What are you talking about?" shouted Marcon in defense. "I earned my place in this mission just like you did! I can easily handle Sam! And it's not like your even doing a good job anyway-"

"Actually," said Omega, thoughtful, "since Ari's in no condition to fight, he's out. And since I should probably stay behind to check the ship's condition and make sure Ari doesn't do anything stupid, I think I'm going to let you go down there by yourself, kid."

For a moment Ari and Marcon were silent, and they watched Omega in disbelief. But after a moment, "_Yes!_" screamed Marcon, shooting into the air, punching his fists around. "I didn't get the chance to do a single thing to help from the start and now I'll finally get some action! She won't know what hit her!" But the boy fell quiet, suddenly intimidated, as Ari's eyes fell onto him in a dangerous way.

"That's stupid," said Ari switching his gaze from Marcon to Omega. Propping himself up a little, he said, "I mean, why the hell would you let him go on his own? He's just a kid. He's going to screw everything up."

Omega's eyes narrowed. "Marcon's fully capable, I'm sure. He's a better fighter than you and me both."

Ari's hand found it's was to his face. "It's just- I mean I'll go too. Marcon's never been on earth and the little bastard is probably going to get lost or something. And he doesn't know Sam like I do. He'll mess up."

Omega snorted. "Says the kid who was on the verge of death only just a moment ago. You can't do a thing in your condition," said Omega with a hard, loud laugh. "I bet you can't even stand."

"Yeah? Wanna bet?" Ari growled, giving him a dangerous grin. Shakily, the boy pushing himself up and off the bunk. He was on his feet in a moment, but he was trying desperately hard to hide the strain in his body from the critical man in front of him. "How do ya like me now?"

Cocking an eyebrow, Omega brought a hand to his chin. "Impressive, boy." A little sinister grin spread across his face. And, pointing, he said, "Now do me a favor and teleport, would you? Right over there."

"With pleasure," Ari scoffed, pulling the sleeves of his jacket up. And in a blink, Ari was gone. By the time Omega turned to the spot where he had instructed Ari to reappear, the boy was already there. However Ari was lying on the ground on his stomach, out cold.

Marcon fell by Ari with a laugh. Standing on the boy's back he said, "_Look who's so high 'n mighty now!_"

Omega was not smiling. He was still uneasy as to why Ari would want to go fight Sam himself when he was clearly in no condition to do so. But pushing that aside, he glanced down at Marcon. "When do you want to start?"

Marcon grinned up at him, his pride dangerously glowing. "Give me three days."


	15. Forget Me Not

**REVIEW**

"Now do me a favor and teleport, would you? Right over there."

"With pleasure," Ari scoffed, pulling the sleeves of his jacket up. And in a blink, Ari was gone. By the time Omega turned to the spot where he had instructed Ari to reappear, the boy was already there. However Ari was lying on the ground on his stomach, out cold.

Marcon fell by Ari with a laugh. Standing on the boy's back he said, "_Look whose so high 'n mighty now!_"

Omega was not smiling. He was still uneasy as to why Ari would want to go fight Sam himself when he was clearly in no condition to do so. But pushing that aside, he glanced down at Marcon. "When do you want to start?"

Marcon grinned up at him, his pride dangerously glowing. "Give me three days."

* * *

><p>The girl twitched under her sheets before pushing herself up from bed. Holding herself up against the wall, Sam looked around the room with an unsettling feeling. It still felt strange to open her eyes and to not only see darkness. It somehow felt like, now that she was back home, she was stuck in some long and dragged out dream and soon enough she would wake up and find herself back on that ship. But a firm rub to the face confronted her and told her otherwise, and she rolled out of bed.<p>

Softly making her way down the stairs, Sam realized that today was the first day since she had come back home that Matt hadn't been there to greet her in the morning. But then she remembered that it was Monday and Matt was at school. It was probably really late in the day already, but lately Sam couldn't even bring herself to get out of bed any earlier than noon. She was somehow still so worn. And so the previous night Matt's mom had offered Sam to take a long break from school. And Sam, who had by now lost all interest in school and no longer saw the slightest importance to it, had eagerly accepted, intending to make the break a long one.

Cynthia was sitting by a window in the living room, and as Sam crept up behind her she saw that the woman was painting a small section of the trees that surrounded the house onto a tiny canvas. Upon hearing the girl's footsteps, the woman turned and gave Sam a smile. "Good morning, honey. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she said. But her exhausted tone told Cynthia otherwise. Even Sam was surprised at the sickly sound of her own voice. But she pretended like it was nothing and proceeded to look at the tiny painting in the woman's hand. Realizing what the girl was looking at it, Matt's mom held the picture up and offered the girl a better view.

"You're really good," said Sam, surprised. She could tell that the woman had only just started the painting, but the technique that Sam could see on the tiny canvas was obviously practiced and precise. The trees were beginning to take shape onto the paper. "I didn't know."

"Thank you, sweetie," she said, giving Sam a pat on the head. "That's why I decided to move to this area. The town's very pretty, isn't it? It's old and quiet and worn and it gives me the opportunity to paint many different things. I thought that this place could give me the motivation to practice a lot." She set the painting down on the window pane and backed up. Despite what Sam had said, she frowned. "I haven't gotten the chance to paint much, though. Looks like I'm a little rusty. I guess I've been busy with a lot of things." Glancing down at the tiny girl at her side, who was still looking at the painting, Cynthia smiled. She crouched down to Sam's level and grabbed both sides of her face.

"Especially with you, you little troublemaker," said Cynthia, pinching down lightly on Sam's face. Her voice was tired but warm. "You're just one rough patch after another, aren't you?"

Sam's head dropped to the floor in shame. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice small. "I really didn't-"

"For what?" asked the woman, getting up. She gave the girl a little smile. "It's not your fault that these things happen to you. You might just be a little unlucky." Cynthia took a quick glance at the clock. "It's almost 12. You slept in pretty late. I was afraid you wouldn't be up in time. You better go get dressed."

"In time for what?" Sam asked.

"I'm going to buy an alarm for the house," said the woman, pushing Sam towards the stairs. The last thing we need are for those people who kidnapped you before to make a second stop at this house. I'm going to look for the best system out there so that I can keep my kids safe."

Sam, who still hadn't gone upstairs yet, twitched guiltily on the first step. "Doing that really wouldn't…"

But when the woman's suspicious eye caught Sam, the girl turned away, muttering, "It's nothing."

The girl heard the woman approach her and by the time Sam raised her head the woman was already in front of her. "Honey, listen to me. Why should I not go and get stronger security for my house? What's a home worth if you can't even be safe in it?" She lightly brushed her hand against the girl's arm, making her flinch a little. Pulling away as if she were pulling away from a terrified dog, sitting in a pathetic bundle with its tail between its legs, Cynthia continued. "Sam, if you know anything about those bad people, I need you to tell me. It can't be possible that you've been away for a week and you somehow don't know anything about who took you or where you were. I don't know if your holding back information because they threatened you or anything, but if you talk to me and if we take that information to the police, then they'll protect you. They'll have the people that took you locked up before you know it." She brushed away the tiny hairs out of Sam's face. "You just have to tell me what you've been holding back."

When the woman received no answer except for Sam's pathetic expression, she turned and made her way into the kitchen. "Just go and get dressed, hun," Her voice did not sound angry or frustrated, but it seemed to lack some of the warmth that it harbored only a moment ago. "We have to leave very soon. You have to come, I'm not going to leave you home alone in this house again until it's safe."

Sam's eyes followed the woman as she vanished into the kitchen with a guiltily depressed sting. And, sighing, Sam slowly began to make her way up the stairs. It was painfully obvious to Sam that Cynthia was only wasting her money. As long as Sam remained in that house, it would never be safe. And, against Ari, simple alarm system would not even make the slightest difference.

* * *

><p>"Hold up for just a little longer," said Cynthia, taking a nervous glance at the cringing girl beside her. "There's a little more traffic then I expected." They hadn't been on the rode for that long, but Sam looked like she was on the verge of death. Her face was a sickly blue and her stomach felt like it was about to fall out of her mouth. She had never been in a car for so long before, and so she had no idea sick it would make her. If she had know she wouldn't have set foot near the stupid thing.<p>

Covering her mouth and holding her face towards the open window just in case, Sam mumbled an inaudible response to the woman. At this rate, if she opened her mouth to even speak she knew that words wouldn't be the only thing that came out. The car was hardly even moving and she'd probably die before they even got there.

The girl was beyond nauseous, so when she felt the chill rocket down the length of her body, she initially thought it was because she was going to throw up. But when nothing came out of her and when the sensation continued to steadily ring in her veins, she realized that it was not the motion sickness that was doing this to her. It was that _feeling. _And, suddenly terrified, Sam realized that Ari was somewhere close by. And suddenly her stomach ache felt a hell lot worse.

After taking a quick glance at the clueless woman who, if things played out the way Sam feared, would no longer be so clueless in a moment, Sam cautiously pressed her face to her window. She couldn't see any sign of Ari. She couldn't see anything but cars. Thousands of them. The girl could feel the color draining from her face; they were on the highway, and there was no escape.

Cynthia noticed the girl's sudden restlessness, and turned to her, concerned. "What's wrong?"

The girl, whose body had begun to slouch to match the growing sickness and panic she was feeling, looked at her with the most convincing face she could muster up. And in all honesty she said, "I'm going to throw up." It was the truth, but the additional reason behind it other than her sickness was something she wouldn't say. How could she tell the woman that she was in danger? "Please take me home."

The woman pressed her lops together and turned back towards the road. "Oh, baby… Can't you hold it for a little longer? Just a little longer? We're not too far."

"I can't," Sam breathed. Her fear for the woman was beginning to show in her voice. "_Please._"

Taken aback by the girl's desperate tone, the woman let out a heavy sigh. Shaking her head, she said, "I can't just turn around, sweetie. We're on the highway, and to top it off we're in traffic. The nearest U-turn isn't for a while. Here, do you need a bag?" The woman, who could move freely at the moment since the traffic had caused her car to come to a complete stop, turned towards the back of the car and stuck her head in between the seats. "I'm sure I have one lying around in the back-"

A sharp banging sound suddenly clapped from the front of the car and both Sam and Cynthia practically jumped into the air. Initially confused, they couldn't quite process where it was coming from for a brief moment. And, impatiently, the rapping continued. When Sam turned to the front of the car and saw the boy standing at the front of the hood, his hand knocking on the car as if it were some sort of door, the first thing she felt was relief. It wasn't Ari after all. But then she processed the boys face, and his pulled back hair and that arrogant grin and those aggressive, child-like eyes suddenly triggered her memory. The girl had already realized that the boy wasn't human by the time she noticed his strangely shaped ears.

"Oh," said Cynthia, laughing out of relief. "It's just a kid. A weird looking one at that, am I right?" She looked at Sam, but her smile faded once her eyes met Sam's horror stricken ones. But the boy started knocking on the car hood again, and Cynthia, now a little annoyed, turned towards her window and rolled it down. She stuck her head outside despite Sam's strange protests for her to stay in the car. "You just about gave me a heart attack. What are you doing?" she asked the boy, trying to keep the light smile on her face. "You shouldn't be playing around in the middle of the highway. It's dangerous."

He frowned dangerously, and even Cynthia could now tell that he probably wasn't exactly the nicest kid on the block. She pulled back into the car. Or maybe she pulled in because the woman had finally noticed the kids ears and eyes, Sam wasn't sure. Traffic had started to move again, and cars were starting to honk from behind her, but the boy didn't show any sign of moving from his spot in front of the car. Cynthia glanced at Sam, but her confusion only grew when she saw Sam's horrified eyes, transfixed on the boy that was blocking the car. And, speaking slowly and cautiously out of the window, she said. "You should probably get out of the road."

"Oh I will," he said, his features scrunching in an irritated manor. He was speaking in a strangely menacing voice which the woman was having trouble believing could belong to such a young boy. If Sam could remember correctly, this kid seemed to have a lot of pride, and she was sure that Cynthia trying to tell him what to do wasn't exactly helping the situation. She wanted to tell the woman to stop, but as she opened her mouth, the boy continued, and said, "I just need to have a little talk with Sam first."

The woman was still. She wasn't quite sure if she heard the boy correctly or not. But, as she processed his words in her head again, she realized that he did in fact say that he wanted to talk to Sam. But even so, that didn't make sense. The kid obviously didn't go to Sam's school, and Sam didn't even remember anybody from her past, as far as Cynthia knew. But when she turned to the girl beside her, suspicion and confusion flooding her face, she could easily tell that Sam did in fact seem to recognize the boy. But what added to her confusion and what really put Cynthia on edge was the obvious terror in the girl's eyes. "You know this boy?" she asked. It seemed more like an accusation rather than a question, and her words make Sam flinch. And, before Sam even got the chance to clearly say yes or no, Cynthia asked, "But how?" The woman was becoming angry, and Sam could feel herself shrink. She didn't know how to answer.

But the woman beside her was not Sam's biggest concern. It was the little boy. The boy who was one of Ari's teammates. The one who single-handedly fought off Laru when she had been on their ship. The one who seemed to fight more aggressively than all the other aliens she had crossed paths with. The boy who seemed to grow increasingly angry by the second. The one who had been undeniably furious that he hadn't gotten the chance to fight her before they held her prisoner.

Although she could remember all this, she somehow could not remember his name.

"You recognize me, don't you, Sam?" he asked, a smile playing on his lips. It was like he was reading the uncertainty right off of her face. "It's only been a couple of days, hasn't it?" But when Sam only stared at him, her mouth hanging open wordlessly, he continued with mocking eyes, and said, "We only had you drugged up so much, you know? You shouldn't have forgotten me."

Sam could not answer. How could she? What was she supposed to say? Cynthia was right there, and there were people everywhere around her. Sam was completely trapped, and it seemed that the boy was very much aware of this. It was painfully clear that he was there to take her back, but, remembering the brief encounters she had with him previously on the ship, he didn't plan on doing that without putting on some sort of show. The longer Sam said nothing to him, the icy warning pulse in her veins steadily began to burn, growing hotter and hotter by the second. And, beside her, Cynthia was quickly growing more and more frenzied between the boy's strange comments and the honking traffic that surrounded her.

"Sam," she said, grabbing onto the gears of her car. She was breathing hard, unsure of how to take the boy. "I don't know if you know this kid or not, but I know I don't like him. He must be a sick person. I'm going to try to drive around him-"

But suddenly there was a dagger in his hand- the same piercing C-shaped dagger that Sam remembered from the ship- and with a quick, fluid movement, the boy had suddenly pierced his weapon into the hood of the car. The sound of the ripping metal made a sharp and sickly scratching noise which made her body give a sudden and surprised lurch. Realizing what the boy had just done to the car, she slammed her hands on the dashboard and pushed her face against the front window. Anger suddenly overwhelming her long silence, she opened her mouth to yell. But from the corner of her eye, she saw the woman's shocked and motionless face, and girl's anger once again melted into fear. This fear, however, was not so much _for_ the woman, who was clearly not so completely horrified with mere fact that the boy had damaged her car. The woman had seen his weapons appear out of the air, and she clearly wasn't taking to it well. And if that scared her, Sam didn't even want to think about the woman's reaction if she saw her turn into an animal. The girl now not only feared for the woman's safety, but now feared the woman herself.

"Get out of the car," the boy said. "Or the car won't be the only thing I'll be breaking today."

Sam unclipped her seatbelt without a second thought, almost as if she was in a trance. She knew that the boy wasn't joking. He wouldn't hesitate to hurt Cynthia if it meant getting his way. And he absolutly wouldn't hesitate to kill the woman for the fun of it. And Sam knew very well that he'd definitely do it just to spite her. Unwilling to risk anything, Sam grabbed the door handle.

But Cynthia was quick and fiercely grabbed the girl's arm. Her mouth was hanging open, and Sam didn't need to hear her words to know that Cynthia was shocked that she was cooperating with the strange boy. And, after a moment staring at Sam, confusion leaving her unable to speak, Cynthia turned to the window, and found herself staring at the angry boy.

"She doesn't know you. You must have the wrong person," Cynthia said, trembling. It was like she was trying to convince herself rather than persuade the boy that he had the wrong person. She did not let go of Sam. "She's just a child, please don't do this-"

"Of course she knows who I am," said the boy, a crazed grin spreading across her face. And suddenly he dissolved into the air, earning a terrified gasp from the woman. But in the next instant he was at Sam's door. He opened it smoothly, and, leaning down to the level of the car door, said, "After all, we just spent the last week together, didn't we, Sam? Go on, tell her my name. You know it, don't you?" And he held out his hand to her, as if he was some gentleman helping his woman out of her car.

The woman's grip on Sam loosened out of horrified shock, and Sam took this opportunity to silently slip out of the car. She didn't take his hand. She only held onto his eyes wirh a firm and angry stare. The boy's snickety grin widened again, and, dropping his untaken hand, quietly said, "I don't expect you to behave so nicely. How _unamusing._" Ignoring his threatening words, Sam began to close the door behind her, but Cynthia's hand was suddenly in the way. And the words that came out of her mouth next shocked the girl.

"Don't show that kind of face to me, Sam!" The woman was pressing further out of the car, the desperation and fear obvious in her face. "Please! Don't do this! Please!" She was crying heavily now, and her words were forced and desperate and afraid. Sam's face was as empty as the cold and pale stone she wore on her neck. It was the same hopelessness that she saw in the girl when she first appeared. Sam now once again looked like that Sam who had lost both her memories and her personality. "Don't go back there! Don't let this person force you to go back to that!"

The boy rolled his eyes, took Sam, whose apathetic still remained, quite roughly by the arm, and began to pull her away from the car. But had only taken a few steps before he heard the woman climb out her car door behind them. "You unimaginable bastard! Do you think this is funny?" she shrieked. Cars were swerving and honking from all around her but she no longer seemed to notice. She was beginning to cause a scene. "You're the one that kidnapped Sam? I'll have you arrested if you don't give her back to me! _Give me back my kid_!"

At that he laughed. "She doesn't even belong to you! Why the hell does it even matter. If anything I'm taking quite a bit of trouble away from you."

"_You don't even know what your saying!_" She was absolutely hysterical now. Flailing her arms around her, she was starting to scream for help from the cars, which had been forced to stop because of the commotion that was taking place in the middle of the road. "_Help me! Help! He's taking my baby! Please! Please, help me!_"

"Stop it! Please stop it!" Sam suddenly begged. Her voice was weak, and she was beginning to cry. The emotionless mask she wore only a moment ago had melted off. What she was trying to say somehow seemed to burn her chest almost more than the burning sensation that throbbed throughout her body due to the boy's touch. "He's right..! You don't know what your doing..!"

Cynthia's legs were trembling from underneath her, and she felt like she was going to fall down. "Sam..?" she breathed. Her voice was quiet and course. It was like the girl's words had somehow shocked her more than the fact that she was being kidnapped. "Please don't take… my Sam…! My baby..!"

The boy, so seemed to pay no attention to the woman at all, had stopped walking, and turned his laughing eyes from the woman to Sam. And Sam painfully broke her suddenly tear-blurred gaze from the woman- the woman who had just called Sam her own child- to the boy. They were similar in height, so looking into his eyes felt like she was dangerously close to him. It was different from Ari, who was significantly taller than her. And somehow, the alarmingly short distance between her eyes and the boy's sharp and stabbing green ones seemed all the more frightening. It made her feel small. "Your _'baby'_ needs some discipline." he said to the woman, keeping his eyes on Sam, who was just beginning to tremble. "She somehow doesn't seem to remember my name, and that really, _really_ pisses me off." His face was terrifyingly close, and the girl could feel herself shrinking under him. "It makes me want to kick her ass even more now."

At his words, Sam fell back, terrified. He wanted to fight her? She thought he was just going to humiliate her infront of all these people and take her back! She wasn't expecting a fight! She didn't want to fight him! Not in front of Cynthia! Not in front of these people! She would rather go back to that god-forsaken ship than have Cynthia figure out what she really was! But Sam didn't have the chance to fall back any more, because the boy's daggers, both of them this time, were suddenly in his hands, and he suddenly had one of them hooked around her neck, while the other was pointed at the woman, who, by now, had fallen to the ground.

"You're going to fight me. Right here, right now. In front of the world. I'm going to prove to you just how different you are from these people. I'm going to show you how afraid they really are of things like you. And for each time you try to refuse me I'll kill somebody on this rode, starting with that woman over there." He tugged the blade that encircled the girl's neck forward, and she could suddenly feel thick liquid warmth begin to run down her neck and onto her back. Meanwhile, people had gotten out of there cars to try to figure out exactly what was going on, and Sam, petrified, was painfully aware of each and every one of them. The pain on her neck was small compared to the pressure of all those eyes on her and the terror that she was feeling because of them.

"My name is Marcon," he said. "By the time I'm through with you, you won't forget it again."


	16. Own up to It

*** This is deff one of my fav chapters out of the entire story. My first real legit fight scene! I hope you enjoy it too:)

**REVIEW**

"You're going to fight me. Right here, right now. In front of the world. I'm going to prove to you just how different you are from these people. I'm going to show you how afraid they really are of things like you. And for each time you try to refuse me I'll kill somebody on this rode, starting with that woman over there." He tugged the blade that encircled the girl's neck forward, and she could suddenly feel thick liquid warmth begin to run down her neck and onto her back. Meanwhile, people had gotten out of there cars to try to figure out exactly what was going on, and Sam, petrified, was painfully aware of each and every one of them. The pain on her neck was small compared to the pressure of all those eyes on her and the terror that she was feeling because of them.

"My name is Marcon," he said. "By the time I'm through with you, you won't forget it again."

* * *

><p>She was caught, and she was frozen. It felt almost as if the world around her was moving at an unnaturally fast pace and her body was somehow too weak and unable to keep up with it. She could feel Marcon's dagger on the back of her neck still, just barely pierced inside her skin, holding her like an anchor, and she couldn't move. She could still hear his words, those words that declared a fight, ringing in her head like some warning alarm that had decided to ring a few seconds to late, and she couldn't move. She could feel his stare and that grin of his digging marks into her, and the eyes of the hundreds of people that surrounded her, and she could feel that horrifying warning sensation burning into her like fire, and she couldn't move.<p>

And then she could see the anger in Marcon's eyes as he realized that she wasn't going to make the first move- that she wasn't going to make any move at all- and he let his blade slowly drop from her neck. And then Sam suddenly found the world was so abruptly tumbling around her, and she could no longer feel the ground.

When the spinning stopped and Sam was finally able to see where she was again, the first thing she realized was that she was in the air. She was _very high_ in the air. Below her dangling feet, the cars were no bigger than bugs, and the people smaller than that. But Sam had come to the point where heights did not scare her. It was only Marcon who she had to fear right now, and, looking up, she realized that the boy's firm hold on her wrist was the only think keeping her from falling. And _that_ sure as hell scared her.

"I'm not going to fight you!" Sam said loudly, fearfully, stuttering over the loud winds. "I'll cooperate! Please don't-"

Marcon, holding her entire weight with just one hand, stretched his arm out straight so that the girl was held arms-length in front of him. Watching her dangle with an irritated and angry stare, he said, "I thought we just went through this. If you don't fight, I'll kill that woman down there. So I suggest you shut your mouth and transform before you piss me off any more."

Sam hesitated, and Marcon sharply yanked her higher into the air. His angry eyes seemed to be glowing, and, growling, he said. "Listen, brat. I am not like Ari. Get that fixed in that head of yours before you regret it." At first Sam didn't understand what he meant. As far as she was concerned, he was _exactly_ like Ari. They were both the same monster to her, both the same threat. "I mean everything I say. Ari might have been taking it nice and slow with you, _playing_ with you, taking his _sweet time_ with you, for who the hell knows why. But I won't hesitate to do what I have to. That bastards been doing nothing but messing around, even with all that's at stake. And that's why I'm here." And suddenly his grip on her released, and Sam began to fall. And, watching her figure plummet to the ground, humorless and clearly out of patience, Marcon shouted down to her, "_Now fight me!_"

The girl clawed at the air in a panic, trying to catch hold of anything, even though she knew there was nothing there, to stop her from falling. She wanted to scream for help but no sound escaped from her. Her fear of falling was as strong as ever, but what could she do? She couldn't possibly fly in front of all these people! There was no way she'd transform. She'd rather die than be exposed.

But as the word 'die' crossed her thoughts, both her body and mind froze. No, that wasn't what she wanted. She definitely didn't want to die. She didn't want to die _or_ fight, but the girl was trapped, and it was ether one or the other. What was she doing? Hesitating like this wasn't going to save anybody. All along she had been treating everything like she had a choice. But the truth was, if she wanted to save herself and the people she cared about, she didn't have a choice. She had to fight, even at the cost of her own secret. Even at the cost of being abandoned by Cynthia, she had to. And at that she willed herself to transform. And her body disappeared in the light that had suddenly engulfed her body. After bearing with the quick and sharp and instantaneous pain that tugged at her back, the light began to fade. And by the time it had disappeared completely, Sam was no longer falling. And Sam was no longer the same Sam.

She could hear all their gasps like screams. Each and every noise of shock and surprise that was made was as loud in her ears as somebody shouting in her in her face, despite her height. That alone was like a kick to the stomach. She felt naked now, and shamed, as her true self was displayed and her secret finally exposed. But it was too late. It was too late to worry about that now. It had too late to worry about that from the start. She was stupid to believe for a moment that she'd be able to hide this side of her forever.

But she also somehow felt that it was alright. Shame was not about to hold her back now. Nor was any other emotion that threatened to weaken her. Because now she had nothing to loose.

She looked up at Marcon, blank and emotionless, and at first her steady increase of altitude was slow. The movements of her wings were controlled, quiet, as if testing the waters. But the movements became faster. And just as her speed increased, so did the adrenaline in her blood. And the hollowness dissolved from her face. And as a strange expression of fury that didn't seem to make sense on Sam set across her face, she was shooting towards Marcon faster than she had ever flown before.

Marcon wasn't expecting it. And Sam certainly hadn't expected it ether. But it was easy to see that the normally timid and terrified girl was suddenly no longer so timid. It was almost like, now that she had nothing left to hide, she had no reason to hold back. She had no reason to. She reached Marcon's height, and with tears unknowingly and uncontrollably rolling down her face, Sam spread out her hand, almost imagining herself to grab hold of the air that was carrying her. And in an instant she threw her hands towards him and Marcon, who was slightly taken off guard but not at all disappointed, was sent hurling back across the sky.

Sam didn't understand what she was feeling. If she had to put it into words, the only thing she'd be able to come up with would be that she sure as hell wasn't feeling like herself. She was aware of the undeniably anger that was easily distinguishable on her face, but she certainly didn't feel it. She certainly didn't want her to fight, but her body was moving as if she absolutely did. She felt strangely hollow, emotionless, but this hollowness wasn't painful. It felt natural, almost familiar. It was almost as if her emotions remained on the ground as Marcon carried her to the sky and her body was acting on it's own without them.

"Changed your mind?" called Marcon over the wind. He looked ready now, and the confidence that shown in his eyes was more then enough to put Sam on edge.

Her heart was pumping. Her blood was rushing. She was aware that she was not herself anymore. All her logic had vanished. All her fears and doubts had suddenly disappeared. She felt no emotion at all except for a sort of terrifying excitement. It was a strange feeling of excitement that both scared her and reassured her that this was what she had to do. This was who she was, she it was about time she stopped running from herself for at least a while. And the excitement she felt inside of her felt strangely _familiar_, and it reminded her that this is the kind of person she was built to be, and these were the things that she was built to do. She was made to be a fighter, and maybe it was about time she let that side of her take control. The only thing she was aware of now was this excitement. This excitement _for the fight_.

She didn't say anything back to him. But she didn't have to. Marcon could easily see what her answer was just by looking into her eyes. They were angry, and they were glowing with a strange sense of readiness that Marcon eagerly took as more than a yes.

His smile was soft and uncomfortably glad, and his unusual stillness chilled Sam. Something was off, something was different. Not just with her, but with her opponent as well. And in the next moment, Marcon had disappeared. And for a split moment Sam thought that he had teleported. But as she suddenly found Marcon in front of her, his daggers held out and his crazed eyes and grin screaming with blood thirst, she realized the boy had not disappeared at all. It was his _speed_, and that was enough to remind Sam that she was in no place to get over confident with herself. She was in real danger.

His daggers would have sliced her down the middle if Sam hadn't forgotten to flap her wings from the shock of the boy's movements, and Marcon shot over her as the girl tumbled a little closer to the earth. But by the time Sam looked back up at him, he was already coming at her again, just as fast. Letting out a sharp gasp, Sam threw herself out of the way, but Marcon's dagger immediately followed her. But Sam's foot flew up from underneath her and kicked it to the side. Not a second later Marcon's other dagger swooped around him at arm's length, but Sam somehow managed to push herself back, just barely avoiding the blade, which would have carved a direct line into her face. And instantly, Marcon's body spun around to match the movement of his arms, and his foot made hard contact with Sam's stomach so quick she could barley see it, and she was sent sailing backwards.

She was gasping for he breath and could barely manage to open her wings to catch herself from falling. The fight had only just started and things already didn't look too good. Not five fucking seconds ago she was telling herself that she was going to fight with her all and now here she was, already gasping for breath and clearly loosing. And it was then that Sam realized that she wouldn't be able to beat Marcon in the state she was in. Not in a million years. It was absolutely useless. She still didn't know how to fight, no matter how strong her determination was. Marcon was a professional killer and Sam was just some kid who didn't ever know what the hell she was doing half the time. She didn't even know how to use her own powers. Sam herself could not beat Marcon, no. She knew that all too well. But maybe- just _maybe_- is she let go of herself, she'd stand a chance.

The girl remembered what happened to herself when she had been in danger before. Her body seemed to act on it's own and when Sam's mind wasn't in control and this had saved her countless times before. Even just moments ago, her body took a few liberties. Transforming, fighting, escaping; her body had done all when Sam's conscience failed to act. If not for that strange continuous occurrence, Ari would have captured her a long time ago.

Her breath was back by now, and she looked at Marcon with a strange sense of sureness and discretion. Maybe that was it. Maybe if she allowed her body control over herself, she'd be able to make it out of this. And, concentrating on that sole thought, the girl let her eyes fall shut, shutting out every thing else in an attempt of hard concentration.

She had only closed them for a second. But when she opened them, Marcon was coming again, just as fast as before and he was very, very close. But, by now, Sam had already submitted to herself. And so now, with her own mind distant and her concentration strong, she was very much ready for him. His dagger jumped for her first, but Sam's hand was quick and pushed his arm up, along with the oncoming dagger. And suddenly, in a quick and fluid motion that almost matched Marcon's speed, her hand was on his chest- nothing more than a gentle brush of her fingertips- and he was suddenly engulfed in the girl's violent winds. He wasn't just pushed away, he was sent _hurling_ across the sky like the bullet of a gun in such an aggressive manor that that the winds sounded like a train as they exploded around him.

But Marcon wasn't at all discouraged. As he tumbled away, Sam could easily distinguish the obvious grin that seemed to consume his face. But she didn't have much time to dwell on the thought because suddenly Marcon was plummeting downward. At least, at first she thought he was falling. But she realized that that smile of his was still on his face, and he was _diving_. Sam watched him, confused and taken aback at the sight of the boy, unable to comprehend what he was doing. He swooped low, just over the heads of the screaming and terrified people below that had been watching the fight all along from the highway, and made his way to underneath where Sam hovered. And suddenly he was rocketing skyward, on a direct crash course for the girl. Sam gasped and catapulted herself upward, flapping her wings as fast as she could. She had just barely moved in time; had she waited a second longer to move from her spot, Marcon's daggers would have torn her apart.

Higher and higher she flew, each beat of her wings moving a little faster and a little harder until she was sure that they would tear off her body. But it somehow seemed that, no matter how hard she worked her wings, Marcon was faster than her. And he was catching up quite fast. He was only a few feet behind her now, and he managed to perfectly catch every turn, every drop and every rise that Sam made in the sky. It was like he knew every move she was going to make. It was clear to the girl that Marcon was playing with her; he could easily close in on her at any time. But it seemed that he was having too much fun running her breathless before he'd stop.

Sam glanced back at him, and his grin jumped out at her, sending a rough jolt through her body. That grin, _that grin_. It looked so sick, so crazed, so _unnatural_ that it was almost painful look at. The obvious joy in his eyes made Sam want to throw up.

It was then that Ari flashed across her mind, of all times. It was only just then that Sam realized just how truly different Marcon was from Ari. They weren't the same at all, as Sam had originally thought. Their personalities completely clashed, and this only made Marcon's terrifyingly aggressive fighting manor frighten Sam even more. And she remembered Marcon's words, and how he's said Ari had been going easy on her. She didn't believe it at first, but now she understood. If this was Marcon's true strength, than compared to him, Ari was no more of a threat than a bug. For whatever reason, Ari really had been holding back on her the entire time.

And that only pissed Sam off.

She stopped flying suddenly, and welcomed Marcon with her foot. He easily somersaulted back, not affected at all by the contact, and, holding his blades out, said, "Tired already?" His smile was as mocking as ever. If not more.

But when he took a good look at the girl's face, he faltered for the very first time. She was undeniably furious, and while the sudden emotion that Marcon could see in her face that strongly contrasted with the usually-passive façade she always put on was strange enough to make him pause, that was not what threw him off. It was her eyes. They weren't blue anymore. They were _gold_.

Sam's body trembled with anger as she watched Marcon's gapping face. And, taking advantage of his sudden stillness, her leg jumped up from underneath her and she kicked him hard in the gut, sending him flying. It took a moment longer than it usually did for him to catch himself, but by the time he did, Sam was in his face again, her eyes burning holes through him.

"I am so _sick_, she spat, strongly emphasizing each word. She hauled Marcon closer by the collar of his shirt and threw her arm into his face again, and the boy stumbled back, hardly even defending himself. "And _tired_", and she drew back her fist again, but this time Marcon blocked her with his arm. But, as his transfixation with her eyes continued to distract him, Sam sharply kicked him off of her. "_Of you bastards looking down on me_!"

Marcon seemed to come to his senses then, and, springing back, he threw himself towards her, his smirk once again plastered crazily over his face, with a taunting, "_Is that so_?" on his lips. Only this time, his sudden annoyance with Sam left him discontent with just using his fists. His swards sharply cut at the wind, just barely missing Sam, who had flung herself backwards at the sight of his blades.

But she didn't keep running this time. Roughly, she fell onto Marcon, sending the two of them spiraling down towards the ground in a fit of wrestling. Completely ignorant to the cuts that were quickly multiplying on her face and body, Sam continued to press onto Marcon with fierce determination to ram him into the Earth. Marcon, with the same intention, tried to wrangle himself free of Sam's grasp. But, aided by the strong winds which she had willed to encircle them, the boy wasn't having an easy time.

But Marcon's violently quick movements proved to overwhelm Sam and he finally broke away. And not even a second later, he was in the air above Sam, his daggers directed at the girl underneath him, and he threw himself at her. His smile was mad, his eyes burning, and Sam didn't need to hear any words to realize that the boy intended for this to be the final blow.

His blades came down quick, cutting through the air so fast that Sam could hear it. She should have run, she knew, but her body wouldn't listen to her. It was still in control. And, out of fear, she let her eyes fall shut, her gripping mouth barely suppressing a scream. She felt her arms sharply flew across her body, her fingertips barely an inch from the oncoming daggers. And suddenly Marcon's blades stopped in their tracks.

Marcon was unmoving, a strange sense of confusion and disbelief crossing over his face. Sam could feel his stillness, and she slowly opened her eyes. When she saw the blood dripping down his arms, she thought it was hers. And her body tense, bracing for the pain that she'd feel any second. But as her eyes lingered on Marcon, she realized that his blades were spotless. And she didn't feel anything. Nothing. The blood wasn't hers.

And then she saw the gashes. They crossed over the boy's body and arms, forming a perfect X. The wounds were straight, even lines; clean cut but horribly messy. Perfect. Horrifying. Did she do that? How could she do that? Her winds could cut?

Marcon lifted his hand to his face, watching the blood on it that had dripped down from his arm. And he smiled. "That hurt," was all he said. And suddenly he launched himself at her. She didn't react quick enough this time and he successfully grabbed on to her and easily carried her away. Sam was struggling with all her might, letting her winds encase him like a vortex. But Marcon wasn't letting go.

She felt overwhelmed somehow. Marcon seemed to enclose her like her winds enclosed him. And she felt suffocated. Reminded that this wasn't the time to let her fear of herself get the best of her, she willed for her now-desperate winds to cut him and she let them fiercely tear at his back. But his grip on her didn't loosen.

"I'm just about done with you," he breathed in her ear, the strain in his voice exposing the pain that his body was somehow easily resisting. And then everything seemed to go still. The boy's arm, which had been snaked around her, brushed up against her wing. His hand skimmed across her feathers, soft and so very delicate, before suddenly roughly taking a handful in his fist, and he pulled the wing straight.

Sam could feel her body give way to gravity as her wing was restrained. The only thing keeping her from falling was Marcon's constricting hold on her. Now on an entire new level of desperation, she thrashed in his grip, trying to shake her wing loose. It felt like he was trying to tear it from her body! The girl could feel herself become numb as the pain in her wing drew her to the point of tears; she could feel everything that he was doing to it. Her wings felt like arms, each feather like a finger. And as Marcon pulled and tore each little feather from her wing's flesh, it felt like he was breaking fingers. And that's when she felt the cool of the metal of his blade against it. And then she heard a tear, and Marcon's grip on her released all together.

Sam didn't move a muscle as she fell. She knew the tear has come from her this time. She knew it came from her wing. And she was terrified to move. She couldn't even bring herself to look. But finally, slowly, trembling, she turned her head. And what she saw made her nearly faint. There was a hole in her wing. A gapping tear. And that's when she lost it.

Her composure disappeared as quickly as she was falling, and the scared and weak Sam was in control again. She clawed at the air, flapping her wings as hard as she could. But no matter how fast or how desperately she moved her wings, they wouldn't catch the wind. And the _pain_. She almost couldn't breath.

She turned her hear towards the ground, and nearly had a heart attack when she was how close it was, and how quickly she was closing in on it. And when she looked up, only to see Marcon diving down towards her and easily catching up, her mind went blank.

Almost blank. As she watched Marcon's face, _his grin_, she felt the panic melt from her body. She felt herself fall into a sudden and strange calmness. She suddenly forgot that she was falling. She forgot about the pain in her wing. All her focus suddenly fell on to Marcon's face, circling around that psychotic grin of his.

Was he going to win? This was the only question running through her mind. She wasn't sure how to answer herself. She started to say yes- that was the better answer, after all- but she didn't want to. She couldn't quite get her thoughts to for the word yes in her head. But how could she possibly stand a chance now? Her wing was torn, she couldn't fly. It didn't seem like she had anyway out. She was trapped.

But suddenly Sam's eyes widened. No, she wasn't trapped. Her wings might have been damaged, but that didn't mean that she had no other way to turn. She simply had to…

And suddenly, just as Marcon closed in for the final blow, Sam disappeared in a blinding white light, making Marcon fall back only slightly. He didn't know what was happening, but at the same time he could care less. In his mind, he had already won. The exhilaration that he felt as the fight neared its climax got the best of him and he blindly dove into the light.

What happened next happened in an instantaneous blur. The light vanished, and, just a few feet away from the girl, Marcon pulled his arms back for the last strike. But his eyes widened, his jaw dropped, and his concentration faltered when he saw that the girl was no longer in white. He didn't even get the chance to get a good look at her-all her saw was the gold that suddenly covered her body- because in a second, the girl made contact with the ground. Even at the speed she had been falling, she did not crash. But rather, her feet firmly caught her and in an instant she sprang back up at such speed that Marcon nearly fell backwards. She launched herself directly at the boy and his blades, a surprising look of shaken determination written across her face, and Marcon only managed to register her hands in her face. And suddenly everything went bright again, and very, very hot.

Marcon screamed as the flames scorched his entire body, completely engulfing him. Sam, who had landed on the ground once again, watched her flames lick around Marcon's body with an angry indifference. She bitterly willed for them to ignite around him and trap him, and watched silently as her flames obeyed. She wasn't particurly thinking about anything else except for her fire, and she watched silently as they remained on the boy's body to the point where Marcon could no longer fly and his body fell to the earth.

And that's when she first became aware of the screams from behind her. She slowly turned around, only to see the people on the highway scattering in all directions. They were abandoning their cars in the middle of the road and running for safety from the flames, which had by now seemingly taken a life of their own.

By the time Sam turned back to Marcon, she had snapped out of her trance. Her eyes were wide and horrified and her face was suddenly sickly pale. And after the momentary shock of seeing how massive her flames had become, and willed them away in terrified desperation.

Maybe she was still in shock. She sure as hell wasn't thinking straight. She wasn't thinking about _anything_. Sam suddenly found herself running towards Marcon, where he laid in a lifeless mound on the asphalt, black as ash. Staring down at the body, Sam felt herself begin to tremble. Her knees, weak at the sight of the unmoving mess of what was left of the boy, gave out on her and she fell to the ground.

She didn't want to believe it. But the burns that covered the boy's body were clearly real. And they were clearly serious. She wanted to throw up at the sight of him. And that smell, _that smell_. Burning flesh. Now she really was going to throw up.

Yet, while these emotions swarmed furiously inside of her, her outward appearance gave no hint to them. Her face was blank, with no sign of emotion at all except for the wideness of her eyes. Slowly, her hands shakily found their way onto the boy. And he gave her no response. And that was it for Sam. Her face crumbled, her body crumbling along with it, and she was suddenly crying. "_What did I do?_" was all she managed to say, her voice a forced and horse, barely audible whisper.

Her grip on him was crushing, and her head fell onto him. "_You're an asshole_," she managed quietly, her voice horribly angry and unclear. "_But I didn't want to kill you!_" And her hand suddenly came down hard on his face in a cracking punch. The hot and crumbly texture of his skin made her dizzy.

"_Wake up!_" she screamed! "_Wake up, wake up, wake up!_" she was practically on top of him now, hysterical and distraught. Each word earned him another punch in the face. "_Please_," she managed, through gritted teeth. The word was painfully stressed, barely audible like any other word that came out of her, and it echoed from her mouth over and over again like a broken record. Almost like she believed that begging would make him open his eyes.

Sam, quieted for a moment, found her face hovering directly over his. Her face was drenched by now, her entire body was shaking, and she was breathless. And her eyes were hurting her terribly. They were burning quite painfully. But that didn't matter now. Nothing mattered now.

Grabbing the boy by what was left of the collar of his shirt, she hoisted him up. His head fell back, lifeless and heavy, and that only added to her hysteria. "_Don't you do this to me! Don't make me the murderer here!_" Sam screamed in his face, shaking him. "_God dammit, Marcon! Get up!_"

And that's when she felt a quiver. And suddenly emerald shone through the black. She suddenly found herself staring into the little boy's green eyes, which watched her in an empty and distant stare. But as Marcon's consciousness slowly grew stronger, his realization of the situation lead an immediate and horribly perplexed confusion.

Clenching his teeth together, he weakly slapped the shocked girl's limp hands off of him, but his strength failed him and he fell to the ground. The contact was painful and the boy immediately let out a hard groan. His entire body felt like he was still on fire, and he wanted to faint. He opened his eyes just barely again, only for Sam to be the first thing he saw. Along with the heavy irritation that somehow overcame him at the sight of her, exhaustion and aggravated confusion swept over him and, giving the girl one last glance, he disappeared.

Sam wasn't sure how long she stayed in that spot, but it must have been for a while. Her body was numb, and she was so tired and so worked up that she couldn't move. And all the while she was painfully aware of the silence that surrounded her. The quietness was so strong that it seemed to ring in her ears.

When she finally mustered up the strength to turn around, she saw nothing but thousands of empty cars. All of the people had vanished. Cynthia was gone, too.


	17. Her Threatening Gold

******* Thank you so much for the reviews guys! 333

**REVIEW**

Clenching his teeth together, he weakly slapped the shocked girl's limp hands off of him, but his strength failed him and he fell to the ground. The contact was painful and the boy immediately let out a hard groan. His entire body felt like he was still on fire, and he wanted to faint. He opened his eyes just barely again, only for Sam to be the first thing he saw. Along with the heavy irritation that somehow overcame him at the sight of her, exhaustion and aggravated confusion swept over him and, giving the girl one last glance, he disappeared.

Sam wasn't sure how long she stayed in that spot, but it must have been for a while. Her body was numb, and she was so tired and so worked up that she couldn't move. And all the while she was painfully aware of the silence that surrounded her. The quietness was so strong that it seemed to ring in her ears.

When she finally mustered up the strength to turn around, she saw nothing but thousands of empty cars. All of the people had vanished. Cynthia was gone, too.

* * *

><p>A strangely gentle hand brushed under the boy's wispy bangs and along the his forehead, feeling for a temperature, and Ari slowly opened his eyes. When the blur around him died down he let his head fall to the side, and he found himself staring into the irritable and cold eyes of Omega, which heavily contrasted with his lightness touch. The silent man's hand remained on Ari's face for a moment more, before pulling back. And it suddenly clapped against Ari's cheek, giving him a start.<p>

"Why are you in my room," Ari muttered as a slight growl formed on his mouth, his eyes dull and tired. "And why are you touching me?"

Omega's scowl deepened, if that was even possible. "I couldn't tell if you were dead or asleep." He fell back so that he was sitting on the floor, and sat there for a while, watching the cot that Ari was laying on with a dull sort of interest. "I was just checking up on you."

Ari rolled his eyes and let them remain on the ceiling. "This is the third time you checked up on me in an hour, even though we both know I'm fine now." His words dripped with a sort of warning and dangerous harshness.

"Don't be a wise ass," was all Omega said in return. His stare remained on the bed, and his body remained still. Confused by the man's strange behavior, Ari turned towards Omega again.

"Maybe I shouldn't have let him go by himself," said Omega finally, letting his head fall into his hand. "He's just a kid. And he's been gone for so long now."

Ari watched Omega silently, before realizing that he was talking about Marcon. And he was right. The boy had been gone for much too long, considering his only job was to find and bring Sam back. But knowing Marcon, he wouldn't do things so easily and he'd probably confront her and cause a scene. Marcon was a great fighter primarily because of his speed, after all, and he had a big head to match. He definitely wouldn't do things the easy way. So of course he'd be gone for at least a little while. That much Ari was sure of.

But because of how quick the boy was, Ari had little doubt in his mind that he'd easily and quickly overwhelm Sam. He wasn't the type to beat around the bush, and so Sam didn't stand a chance against him. So, even if Marcon did decide that he wanted to fight Sam, it shouldn't take him much longer than it would have if he chose to take her quietly. And yet, somehow, Marcon was still gone.

"I don't know if I should be worried about him," said Omega, his head still in his hand and his eyes still on the floor, "Or for the girl. You know how excited he gets in fights. Maybe he took things to far. He could easily kill her. And if he kills her then we're really screwed. Maybe he hasn't come back yet because he did something wrong."

Ari made a long pause, and eventually nodded. But his eyes were angry. "Maybe. If you had just let me go we wouldn't have this problem."

"Yeah? Maybe I should have let you then and watched you and laughed as you miserably collapsed the moment you pop up on earth." The man watched Ari's eyes narrow into angry slits at his words. "We both know that if you were alright, you wouldn't have spent the last three days in bed. You can barely move still."

Ari's arm flicked up and made some sharp circles in the air. Giving Omega a challenging stare, he said, "See? I can move." His arm fell across his face. "I'm just tired, okay? Get the hell out of my room." While Ari's words and face were cruel and mocking, he felt a mix of stubborn resentment and a strange sense of embarrassment wash over him that he found quite difficult to suppress. He'd never admit it, but Omega was right. Ari knew very well that he wouldn't be able to teleport without any problems like he used to just yet. And it took much effort to move still. It was like his body just couldn't function properly after teleporting that massive distance before. He'd really fucked himself over. And he hated feeling so weak.

But Ari was sharply pulled from his thoughts when Omega's hands came down hard on his neck, and yanked him up by his collar. "Why are you always like that?" Omega growled in his face as he shook the boy, who's face somehow managed to remain annoyingly calm. "If you didn't act like such an ass all the time then maybe you wouldn't be so alone-"

But that's when they both felt it; the gentle ripple of air that set their bodies completely still. Both their heads turned, and what they saw left them speechless.

Marcon was standing there by the doorway, his arm supporting his entire weight against the wall. He was looking at them with heavy breaths and a face that seemed to be falling apart with exhaustion. But the initial relief that Ari and Omega felt at the sight of their teammate died in an instant as their eyes finally took notice of the kid's state. _Black_. Black and red. That was what the boy looked like, that was all their eyes managed to see. He was black as ash, and heavily bleeding through the center of his chest. His body seemed to be crumbling under its own weight.

Marcon reached a trembling hand towards them, and opened his mouth to speak. But the boy didn't even have enough strength to lift his hand and he found that he didn't even have a voice for words. And that was when his arm gave out on him and he fell away from the wall, as light and boneless as some sort of rag. The horrified and stunned faces of his partners were the last thing he saw.

* * *

><p>He felt the stinging before he even woke up. And by the time the boy's eyes were open and his consciousness had fully spread throughout his body, he felt the pain like lightning, shocking every cell on every square inch of his skin. The boy, his eyes wide and terrified, opened his mouth to scream for help, but a hand came down on his shoulder and the boy's eyes flickered up to see the concerned face of Omega.<p>

Marcon's breathing was shallow and quick, and his wide eyes were practically begging for help, for relief. He opened his mouth to call out to the man, to ask why he was in so much pain, to ask why he wasn't helping him, but Omega shook his head. Brushing the boy's hair from his face, he said gently, desperately, "Don't. Please just relax. It's going to help the burns, I promise." The kid looked like he was going to cry, which was shocking to see, since you never exactly associated Marcon with the word _vulnerable_.

Ari, who was standing against the wall, watched Marcon lying helplessly on the bed from the corner of his eye. He didn't know what to do with himself. Marcon was annoying, rude, and the kid followed him around like it was his job. But at the same time, Marcon- the _prodigy_fighter, Marcon- was now lying on his cot covered with at least ten pounds of liniment for on his skin in a sad attempt to relieve the third degree burns that covered his body, and Ari wasn't sure what to say. He didn't like Marcon, and so Ari was having an incredibly difficult time approaching him with comforting words. But the kid was his teammate, and Ari was surprised to feel a strange sense of responsibility for him, and an even stranger sense of confusion. How did this happen?

"I'll get you some medication, alright, Marcon?" Omega said, letting go of Marcon's shoulder. "It'll sedate you immediately and put you right to sleep. You won't feel it anymore." The man briskly turned around and walked past Ari, pausing in front of him. If looks could kill, Ari would have dropped dead on the spot. "_This is on you,_" hissed Omega, quiet but furious. "_Look at him_. All because you couldn't just do your job in the first place." And Omega walked out of the room.

Ari didn't react at all to Omega's words. It wasn't anything he hadn't hear before. But this time, for the very first time, he kind of agreed with him. Just a little. And maybe that was part of the reason he didn't know what to say.

He made his way to the cot and stood by Marcon, who was watching him with tired, barely-opened eyes. Ari awkwardly opened his mouth to speak, but his mind drew a blank and he couldn't think of any words to say. Miserably giving up, he sighed and slowly and hesitantly reached out his hand and lightly brushed it against the boys cheek. It was a sad attempt to comfort him, but it was the only thing Ari could think of to do.

Marcon's eyes flickered across his face. Against the black of his skin, his green eyes seemed to glow. "Ari?" he asked, his voice worn and quiet. It was the first thing Marcon had said since he came back.

Ari looked down at him expectantly, somehow relieved that the boy responded to him. "Yeah?"

"That hurts."

Ari's hand pulled away from Marcon faster than the boy could blink. He looked down, uncomfortable, his eyes scanning the his teammate's body. "I'm sorry," he said in a quiet breath.

Marcon watched Ari for a long moment before looking at the ceiling. He slowly stretched out his hand, which shook as he held it in the air. He looked at it, and suddenly felt very, very sick. A weak and sort of pathetic smile spread across his face. "It really hurts."

Ari crouched down by the boy's side. His eyes were suddenly sad, but strangely understanding. And with a quiet voice, he said, "I know, _I know_." His hand floated up almost on its own accord and pulled Marcon's hair back, which seemed to keep falling over his face and into his eyes. He didn't say anything else.

The boy let out a quiet breath, ignoring the light sting he felt as Ari's hand moved against his head. "I'm sorry I lost." He gave another pathetic, miserable laugh. "_I was so close_."

Ari wasn't sure what had happened back there, and he was dying to know. But at the same time, he was afraid to ask. How could Sam beat Marcon? _Marcon_, who always fought with his all, never once holding back. It didn't make any sense. Sam wasn't strong. "I know." He paused. His face remaining blank and indifferent, he said, "Loose like this ever again, and I'll kick you're ass."

The kid cracked a little grin, just for a second, but it was gone in an instant. It looked like Marcon was done talking, and Ari shifted to get up and leave him alone, but Marcon, suddenly looking suddenly breathed. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Ari blinked, and leaned closer to the boy. "What?"

Marcon's eyes flashed to Ari's. They looked tired, and like they were very much out of patience. "You know what I'm talking about," he said, speaking very quick, firm words. "That time when you took Sam back to earth, the time that you somehow survived. It didn't make sense- I _knew_it didn't- but I never-"

"Hey, hey, _hey_," Ari hissed, his words quick and sharp. He was waving his hands in front of his face in a defensive manor. "You're delusional and you don't know what you're talking about, kid. I can't even understand you-"

"You died."

Ari went quiet, watching the boy with a face of forced control. Although his eyes gave way to the disbelief, to the confusion that he felt. "Kid?"

"Don't _kid_ me," spat Marcon, trying to push himself up and at Ari. But his arms stung against the cot and he simply fell back down again, in more pain than a moment ago. Opening his strained eyes towards Ari again, he spoke, his words a little more calm. "It just… It just all makes sense. It makes _no_sense…"

"Marcon, do you even hear yourself?" asked Ari. He was standing up now, and he was clearly angry. "I think you better just shut up and go to bed. Maybe when you wake up you-"

"_I know I'm right_," insisted Marcon, his words reaching an entire new level of desperation. It was like he was trying to defend himself from sounding so insane. "Because the same thing happened to me."

Ari didn't answer him. He watched the boy with raised eyebrows and focused, concerned eyes. And it was because Marcon didn't see complete doubt in Ari's face that he continued.

"I was winning," said Marcon, his eyes falling shut. His voice was growing obviously tired and ragged from getting worked up. "I was so _fucking_ close. But…" the boy let out another soft, pathetic, regretful laugh. "Sam put up a good fight. But somehow, she pulled a last minute stunt that saved her ass, and I ended up like this. And the only thing I remember is… white. I saw fire come for me, from that girl, and then I saw _white_. And then…"

Marcon's voice trailed off suddenly, and he had the strangest remorseful expression on. "I remember seeing myself in the distance. I saw my body on the ground. And I saw Sam by me, and she was on the ground, too. She was crying, shaking me, screaming at me, even though I couldn't hear a word she was saying. I couldn't hear _anything_. And the white was growing brighter, Ari, covering everything. And Sam and the me that she was holding onto were disappearing in it. It was terrifying." Marcon's hand was in the air, his fist opening and closing, as if he were somehow trying to materialize the very thoughts in his mind to show Ari. "And that's when her eyes turned gold."

That's when Ari's body stiffened. "Gold?"

Marcon watched Ari for a moment with harsh skepticism. "You knew," he said, surprised, unbelieving. "You know what I'm talking about, don't you. About her eyes, how they change." His words sounded more like an accusation rather than a question. The surprise Marcon first felt had faded when he realized that it was exactly like Ari to not say anything; it was like he wanted to be the only one that dealt with her. "You never said anything about it before."

Ari's eyes were hard again, dull, and no longer hiding. "No."

Marcon leaned back again. The boy didn't know whether he should have felt angry that Ari hadn't said anything about it before, or relieved that he wasn't so crazy after all. "Her eyes turned gold," he said continuing from where he had left off, "and suddenly I was under Sam, in my own body again."

It was silent again for a while. "Sam killed me, and then saved my life," Marcon said. He didn't sound so sure of himself, but his eyes were firm and seemed to believe in it. "And she did the same to you."

"Things like that don't just happen," said Ari, finally. His annoyance was made clear in his face. "You don't actually believe that-"

"_I do_," hissed Marcon, suddenly looking very much awake. "I know it! And I know that you know its true, too! From the very start of this, you haven't been completely on our side, have you, _Ari_? You never listen to orders, you don't cooperate, and now you're keeping secrets from us! Whatever is happening to that girls eyes, whatever is happening to _her_ is really bad for us! You know more about her than any of us! You saw the signs first, and you still said nothing! You keep it all to yourself, you do everything yourself! You're not even fighting for our people anymore! You're doing everything for your own convenience!" Marcon was furious, and as much as he wanted to get up to take it out on Ari, his body wouldn't allow him. "You just couldn't finish her off while she was weak, could you! Now look at what you let happen! She's stronger now! She can actually put up a fight! You really fucked us all over now! _Ari_! Do you really hate us all so much?"

Ari cracked a grin at that. A small, but strangely sinister grin. "Is that a joke?" he said, quiet and contained. "How can you even ask me that… that obnoxiously _ignorant_question."

Marcon hesitated. The boy only watched Ari as he took a step back. "I've hated everyone back on that god forsaken planet since I was born," said Ari, his voice heavy and ragged. "Just the same as they hated me. I was never fighting to save them, I was fighting for myself, to prove myself, for my _pride_. Don't give me this bull shit about how I screwed up. Don't tell me what I already know. And don't you _dare_," Ari's voice was growing more and more hostile with each word. "expect me not to be this way after all that's happened. You don't know anything."

Ari turned for the doorway at that, done with Marcon. _So much for that_. Comforting Marcon should have been the last thing on his mind. But he tried and, what do you know, this fucking nonsense was all he got.

"Next time I go to earth," called Marcon after Ari. Ari, beyond the point of annoyance, turned to the kid in angry disbelief that he was still running his mouth. "I'm going to beat Sam so bad that she'll be begging at my feet. I'll make her regret ever doing this to me, for bring nothing but a sore inconvenience. And I'll take her back, to save our home, and I'll end this myself." Marcon's eyes were nearly as hostile as Ari's by now. "Since you won't."

Marcon's words somehow sounded like a threat, and that only pissed Ari off even more. "Do what you want. Give me one good reason," Ari said, out of the doorway by now and already disappearing into the hallway, "why I should give a damn."


	18. Unknown Waters

**REVIEW**

Ari turned for the doorway at that, done with Marcon. So much for that. Comforting Marcon should have been the last thing on his mind. But he tried and, what do you know, this fucking nonsense was all he got. So much for that.

"Next time I go to earth," called Marcon after Ari. Ari, beyond the point of annoyance, turned to the kid in angry disbelief that he was still running his mouth. "I'm going to beat Sam so bad that she'll be begging at my feet. I'll make her regret ever doing this to me, for bring nothing but a sore inconvenience. And I'll take her back, to save our home, and I'll end this myself." Marcon's eyes were nearly as hostile as Ari's by now. "Since you won't."

Marcon's words somehow sounded like a threat, and that only pissed Ari off even more. "Do what you want. Give me one good reason," Ari said, out of the doorway by now and already disappearing into the hallway, "why I should give a damn."

* * *

><p>It was like everything was spinning. Every little sound was a scream; the loudest coming from her heartbeat, with its rapid and painful and terrifyingly loud thudding that somehow seemed to override everything else. Everything seemed so think, so dense, even the air, and she was finding it difficult to move. And the heavy pain in her chest that seemed to be eating away at her from the inside wasn't helping. She couldn't swallow, she couldn't focus, and she could barely even breath.<p>

But these feelings weren't new to her, so she was calm. She was perfectly still, so it was okay that she couldn't have moved if she was trying, anyway. She wasn't trying to think, so it was okay that she couldn't. It was painful. It wasn't comfortable. But these feelings were normal. And so, while the girl's insides were spinning out of control, she managed to appear perfectly composed.

She sat there in a ball, her expression that of absolute indifference, at the same place that she hid when she discovered her wings, hidden in the trees. Sam didn't know where else to wait. She'd made her way home eventually from the highway, she'd walked the whole way, but she couldn't bring herself to go any further. She couldn't go back to the house, how could she? After what Cynthia saw, how could she even think about showing her face there? Cynthia didn't want to see her, that was for sure. The woman had made it perfectly clear when she left Sam back there alone. And so there was nothing else she could do but wait for now.

She watched the house through those passive eyes of hers, keeping track as she felt that pain in her chest steadily intensify. What was she waiting for? Matt? The girl let her head fall into her arms, feeling an all new kind of hopelessness. Matt wouldn't be able to help her this time. This was his _mom._He couldn't protect her from his mom. The woman knew Sam's secret now, and there was no way she'd let her back inside that house. Not again.

The girl had been so caught up with her thoughts that the didn't realize that Matt had unknowingly walked right by her, and by the time she'd realized that she was hearing his footsteps in the grass, he was already at his back porch, opening the door. She reached out and opened her mouth to call to him, but froze in her spot when she saw Cynthia standing there through the open doorway. She couldn't see the woman's expression; Sam was behind the trees across the yard from them. But she could easily see the urgency and hysteria that the woman had about her by the fierce way she pulled Matt in and closed the door behind him.

It was quiet for a long time after that. The girl couldn't see any movement from the house as she watched silently, expectantly, through the bushes. She imagined for a moment that Matt had calmed his mom down and made everything okay, and that was the reason for the quietness. But she was only fooling herself, and she knew that all too well. It was quiet for so long that she didn't think Matt was ever going to come out. But then again, would he? He was her best friend, but wasn't he obligated to his mom over her? She didn't know much about the way families were… She didn't know much about how Matt's family worked, ether, actually, now that she thought about it. Maybe she really was in over her head, expecting him to come. She didn't even consider the situation that he was in.

The pain in her chest was pulsing now, suddenly. And when she reached up to touch her face, her eyes were wet.

But that was when she heard the loud and sharp crack, and she looked up only to see Matt burst from the house, and his mom screaming after him. He was in an all out sprint, shooting towards the wood trail with the most exasperated and panicked expression on his face. And he was screaming her name.

Sam was so shocked that she nearly forgot to call out to him as he ran by her. But she came to her senses, and, practically tumbling out of the brush, called out his name. Her voice was weak and shaky, which surprised her. But the boy heard her voice anyway.

He stopped immediately, instantaneously, and nearly fell forward in the process. When he turned to her, the color in his face had drained, he was breathing alarmingly hard, and he had a strangely and surprisingly terrified look on his face. When he finally took in a long breath, he fell forward and onto the ground in front of Sam, and he grabbed her face.

"You're still here…!" he breathed. It sounded more like a shocked question than a statement. He didn't seem to believe his words. "I thought my damn mom really screwed everything up! I thought you'd run away for real this time…!" The boy watched the girl for a little while longer, as if his hands were holding onto some illusion that would disappear any moment. He had expected Sam to be long gone by now, at his mom having found her out. The girl was just that unstable, that the slightest hint of rejection and abandonment would send her running, like some sort of self-inflicted punishment for being herself. She'd always been like that, since the first time he met her. That was the Sam he'd always known. That was the Sam he _thought_he knew. But no, the girl was really there, and she'd been waiting this whole time. Waiting to come back home. Since when had she changed so much? The boy's hands tightened around her face, an involuntary twitch, when he noticed the dried red under his fingers. "You've been bleeding." She'd also been crying, that much was obvious. But he wasn't going to say anything.

But the girl ignored his last comment, her minor wounds being the last thing on her mind. She hardly heard him. "I waited for you to come home from school. I didn't know what else to do." Sam's hands found their way onto Matt's, and rested on top of them. He watched her as she shrank under his touch. "Matt, something… happened."

Matt hesitated for a brief moment before pulling her into him. "Oh my god, I know, _I know_. I'm so sorry." His words were quiet and gentle, but desperate and completely understanding of the situation that they had both found themselves in. When he had been in the house, only to be greeted by his hysterical mother, screaming about how Sam was actually a monster and that she had witnessed it with her very own eyes, Matt got the painfully clear message that something had happened. He'd never seen that woman so upset in his life, and she was more than furious. And to top it off, when she found out that he had known all along, she just about passed out. "I want you to listen to me, okay? It's going to be alright. I'm going to take you back inside and I promise, I _promise_, she's going to calm down. I just want you to-"

At that, Sam gently pulled away from him. She was shaking her head. "No she's not, Matt." The gentle and sad certainty of her tone sent chills down Matt's back. But more than anything, the strange, small, and almost accepting smile on her face just about killed him. It contrasted with the tears that were starting to build up in her eyes again, which had vanished when the boy came back for her. "There's no way she's just going to let me back in that house."

"_Sam!_" said Matt, jumping in his spot. He wasn't as controlled as he usually was, and this was only putting Sam on edge even more. The girl was very much aware that the boy didn't completely believe that it would ever be alright between her and his mother ether. "Of course she will! Why wouldn't she! You've been living with us for six months now! Why wouldn't-"

"_Because you're her kid_," Sam said, letting her eyes fall shut. It was like she was forcing herself to believe reality and to block out Matt's tempting but clearly false words. But it was harder to say what was real than she thought, and she found her words to come out as weak and small and strained. "And I'm putting you in danger. I'm putting her in danger, too. If I were her, I'd feel the same way. I wouldn't want me around."

Sam paused for a moment, taking a look back at the house. She could see the woman watching through the window, fearfully scanning the area for her son, but it was obvious that the woman couldn't see them behind their shield of trees. Still watching the woman, she said gently, "How can I fight against that? She's got the right to be this angry at me. I've been lying to her this entire time! I knew this was going to happen..!" Sam looked down, bumping her hands against Matt's knee, the lightness of it almost reflecting how the numbness that she felt. Or maybe she was trying to demonstrate how her body was steady as it brushed against him, like she wanted him to understand that she was calm, to think she was fine. "She really didn't want you to look for me. I could hear it in the way she called for you to come back inside. But she still didn't even come after you, even though you ran anyway. She didn't even leave the door." Sam could feel herself begin to choke over nothing. "She's terrified."

Sam paused for a moment, remembering. "And I can't blame her. Not after what she saw," she said, still looking at the grass by Matt's knees. "Something different happened this time. Matt, they came for me again, and they fought me again, but… but I won this time." Her words were unbelieving, and somehow sounded somewhat surprised, like she was having a difficult time believing her own memories. It was like, now that she was saying what had happened out loud, it didn't seem real anymore. "She saw me acting like some sort of…"

But when she looked up, Matt had a mix of fury and desperation messily spread across his face. "This is bullshit," he growled, grinding his teeth together. "Dammit… I wish there was some way that nobody would find you out. No matter how hard we keep trying to hide you, people just keep figuring it out! So many _fucking_ complications..!" He was so worked up that he was speaking before he had thought his sentences through, and he was stuttering over his words. "_If you were just a regular kid..! None of this would have..!_"

Sam watched him with shocked and confused eyes as the boy suddenly pushed himself up, taking Sam with him. "We're going back inside," he said, his voice firm. "Let's go."

"_No, Matt_" said Sam, weakly protesting against his hand, which would not release her. Her controlled front had suddenly cracked and the true emotions that she was feeling were suddenly showing through. Her body was beginning to shake along with the pains in her chest. Why did she suddenly feel like…? "I can't! If she really doesn't want me then I won't-"

"I don't want to hear it," said Matt, sharply tugging her towards him. "You're a part of this family now! Mom is going just going to have to get over it! She'll have to! What am I supposed to do? Just watch and let you get kicked out of the house? You have nowhere else to go!"

Sam didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to think. Matt was tugging her across the yard now, to the back porch. She wanted to pull away from him, she didn't want to take another step towards that house. She wanted more than anything to leave that woman alone. She'd done so much for her, and the last thing Sam wanted was to scare her. But the girl was suddenly trembling, and she couldn't move on her own.

Matt was saving her again. And she was happy for that. But for the very first time since the girl had met him, something felt strange. The pain in her chest hurt more than ever, quaking through her like a continuous and steady vibration. _'If only you were a regular kid_,' was what he said. How many times had she wished these silent words to herself? She couldn't tell you, but it was enough to fill just about every thought in her head throughout just about every day. Matt had never said it before, but Sam knew very well that he wished for the same. But even so, how come when Matt had said it just now, in that angry and painfully remorseful voice of his, why did she suddenly fell like crying?

Maybe she really was expecting too much. Maybe she was suddenly becoming a very selfish person. But, somehow, she hadn't expected the boy to tell her those words. She hadn't wanted him to repeat to her the words that haunted her and played over and over and over in her head like a broken record. He always knew the right things to say to her, he always knew how to make her feel better. And this time as well, she'd wanted him to do the same. She'd wanted to hear what he'd say to her to help settle these feelings and fears and uncertainties inside of her. Somehow, she'd wanted him to at least be happy that, for the first time, she'd won, and say, '_thank goodness you're safe_' to her in that gentle and warm voice of his; to make her falsely believe that there was something good happening in all of this. She'd wanted to hear happy words from him to make the doubt go away, to make her feel like a little more human; like he usually did. She'd wanted him to say, 'It's okay'.

He didn't say that this time. Instead, the boy said that he wished she was normal. That wasn't bad thing. The boy was just saying what he'd wanted, and that was fine. Sam wanted the same thing. But, even so, how come she was she crying?

* * *

><p>The heavy rain that crashed against her window didn't stop the girl from opening it, and she welcomed the drops of water on her face with a long and unwavering breath. Gently, she crawled out over the shutters to meet the stinging raindrops with numb determination, scanning over her escape route. Without hesitating, she stretched her foot down until it touched the roof of the house and, making slow and steady movements, mindful of the slippery rain that coated the steep slates, Sam let herself fall onto it, shutting the window behind her. With light and quick footsteps, she made her way to the edge of the roof and placed her hands on the edge, watching the muddy ground below for a moment. With quiet but unskilled swiftness, she pushed herself off the house, dangled from the roof for a breath or two, before falling easily onto the grass, unharmed. And, taking only a quick glance back at the house, the girl silently launched herself across the yard and vanished into the trees that surrounded the house, unnoticed.<p>

This had become a daily routine for the girl over the course of the last eight days. Each morning she'd wake up, around the same time Matt left for school, she'd escape the house and disappear for the day. Cynthia didn't want her there, and that was okay. Sam understood. But because of Matt's stubborn and angry persistence, and also because of her selfishness which allowed him to do so, the boy practically forced Sam back into the house, despite his mom's desperate pleas. The woman screamed in protest, she cried, she begged, she tried to reason. And Sam, breaking further apart with every word that the woman made against her, silently wished for Matt to just let her go, with the illogical reasoning that that was the safest thing for her to do, safe for everyone. She didn't want to hurt the woman who had taken so much care of her. She'd bought the girl clothes, fed her, gave her a place to stay, sent her to school, and the last thing Sam wanted to do was to repay her by terrifying her. But Matt wouldn't listen, and he brought Sam to her room.

And that was where Sam stayed whenever she was in the house. During the nights and on the weekend she'd stay in her room and she'd occupy herself with whatever was in there, which wasn't much to begin with. But that didn't matter to Sam. As long as she was out of the way, she was fine with anything. Matt would stay with her most of the time, too; he'd usually do his homework with her and he'd always bring her food, since the girl refused to set foot outside her room because she was so determined to give Cynthia as much space as possible. And, during the daytime, while Matt was at school, Sam would secretly escape. She'd wonder through the woods, through the town, into the park; going just about anywhere her legs would carry her. She'd do this until it was dark, and then she'd go back home. She'd and secretly climb back up onto the roof and go back inside the house through the same window, which she would leave unlocked. And, each time, she'd find food left for her on the nightstand next to her bed, left by Matt, like an unspoken 'welcome home'.

Each day this repeated, so delicately and so precisely that Cynthia wouldn't hear a single noise from Sam, if she wasn't looking to. The girl was quickly becoming the definition of the words silence and invisible, to the point where she had it down to an art. She wasn't happy with things like this, but she wasn't disturbed by this, ether. She wanted to prove to the woman that she respected her, that she loved her, and that she didn't mean her any harm. This was the least Sam could do.

Today wasn't different from any other. Sam had taken her secret leave, and now she had nothing to do except for wait for the day to end and to find something to do with herself. The girl padded through the trees slowly, paying no attention to the heavy rain that had already soaked her through her flimsy jacket. The wet didn't bother her at all, but it did come with its own set of complications. She wouldn't be able to find something to do or find a dry place so easily today, now, because of all the water. It's not like she could simply walk into a place to sit and wait there for the day without some adult asking her what she was doing and why she wasn't in school. She'd already tried that many times. She didn't even have any money for food. And she'd have to find some place to stay dry sooner or later or else she'd get sick, which was definitely something she couldn't afford to do. Not when her health determined the strength she needed to protect herself for whenever Ari and the others decided to show up again.

By the time Sam looked up from the ground through her hood, she found herself in the park. It was deserted, along with the rest of the town, and that was some sort of relief for the girl. Most days while Sam was wondering the streets there weren't any other kids because they were all in school. However, there were the few certain prying adults out in the town that caused tiny problems for her, asking her why she wasn't in school, asking her why she was alone, or just simply talking to her, which was the last thing she wanted. Questions never lead to anything good, so most times Sam would only mutter a quiet and impatient, 'excuse me,' and she'd walk away. But, today, thanks to the rain, the park was left alone, just like the girl herself, and she gladly took company with it.

She walked around the grass of the park in circles for what seemed like hours, blindly, as her legs seemed to move beyond her control in search for a place to rest. Finally, they stopped at the trunk of a giant maple tree, and the girl squinted up through the rain at the branches. They were bare, but a closer look revealed that blossoms that had budded on them, coating the branches up and down as summer rounded the corner. And it was under these pretty little branches that Sam decided to stop for the day. Quietly, wordlessly, she crawled across the muddied ground and sat by the base of the trunk, curled up in a ball, paying no attention to the wet dirt that was bound to stick to her clothes and skin. The branches didn't exactly keep her very dry, but it was a step up, to say the least.

There wasn't much going through her mind. When she wasn't at home, hiding away in the town, she almost forced herself to do this. The less she thought, the less she worried, and the quicker the night seemed to come, when she would get to go back home again. So, her head empty, Sam watched the puddles splash on the ground where the branches didn't stretch far enough to shelter. She listened to the rain, a unanimous and continuous hum, and breathed in the hot and humid air, and she felt the wetness around her. And, somehow, doing so helped settle the unease she felt, if just a little.

She'd been so absorbed this that she didn't hear the slow and steady footsteps make their way towards her, and she didn't notice them until she saw the boots stop and stand at the grass she'd been watching. Slowly, delicately, she raised her head, and she found herself staring into the face of Ari.

The boy was standing still in the rain, hardly taking notice of it, just beyond the shelter of the branches of Sam's tree, with his hands folded in his pockets and his jaw firmly set. His gold eyes seemed to burn in contrast with the grayness that surrounded them, however they didn't seem violent or angry. Only observant. But, even so, this didn't stop Sam's heart from stopping.

"Well," he said, his familiar voice making the frozen girl shiver, "don't you look pathetic as ever." He licked the water that had been dripping down his face away from his mouth, watching her with an almost annoyed sort of interest. "Finally get kicked out of that house or what?"

Sam didn't answer him, but she didn't have to. The pain that flashed across her eyes for just that split second gave him his answer. The girl watched him with an unwavering face of indifference, unsure of what to do. She was surprised to see him, but at the same time she wasn't. And, she was scared to see him again, but at the same time she'd rather it have been him than the other two, somehow. She didn't know why she wasn't saying anything, or why she wasn't moving. She was frozen, but it wasn't out of fear. It was simply at the sight of Ari again.

"I came to find out just _who_had secretly replaced the Sam I know and love," he said. He didn't move from his spot, but his expression suddenly showed the mix of annoyance and angry and suspicion that had been easily hidden before. "Because there's no way in hell you're you."

Sam's stone face cracked for a second, giving way to the uneasiness that was hiding just beneath the surface. "That makes no sense." Her voice was trembling and weak. Did she really sound like that?

Ari was suddenly in front of her, crouched down to her level. He had her face in his hand, forcing her to look at his suddenly very serious eyes. "That's my line, sweetheart."

Sam fell forward into his hand out of thee shock of him suddenly so close to her and, grasping his wrist desperately, gasped, "Ari-"

"So what is it?" Ari asked, his voice closely resembling a growl. He didn't let go of her face. "Were you holding back on me or something? Were you just playing me, pretending not to know what the fuck you were doing? Ether you're very clever, _Sam_, or very, very stupid. Were you really actually lying the entire time? _I swear to god, Sam_, if you were-"

"What the hell are you talking about!" shouted Sam, fiercely trying to pull away from him. "I don't understand-"

The world was so abruptly tumbling that Sam forgot to breath, the reason for her shortness of breath not due to surprise or fear, since she was slowly becoming accustomed to the rough and unpredicted manor that Ari had the tendency to carry about him. It was because the only constant that remained while everything else spinned was Ari's face in front of hers, which stayed just as dangerously close, and the sudden awareness that she was trapped by him and her tree, and the absence of space was somehow overwhelming.

Her body was suddenly flat, while her head and neck stretched uncomfortably upward against the trunk of the tree, earning sharp pinches and scratches from the rough bark on her skin. Ari's hand was on the trunk next to her face, while the other supported his own weight on the wet grass on the other side of her.

He silently watched the trembling girl below, at that scared little kid that cried all the time and ran at the first sign of danger. The girl who hated to fight and didn't know the first thing about it. The girl who didn't even know _how to use_ those goddamn powers of hers. Getting worked up over by his thoughts, he brought his head lower, and his matted down hair gently brushed against Sam's face, leaving a trail of wetness on her skin. Breathing alarmingly hard, his eyes filled with a numb and tired fierceness, he drank up the view of the girl looking so overwhelmingly and so beautifully suffocated by him, and the sight of it felt good. "Then, tell me," he said, his voice hard and horrifyingly gentle. "_How did you beat Marcon?_"

Sam's body had fallen into a complete and frozen silence before Ari had even finished speaking. The last time she'd seen Ari, he was lying on the ground half dead, and this strange surge of rage radiating from him had put her into an even stranger sense of shock. Her mind was suddenly muffled and his questions seemed like words of gibberish in her ears. Forcing herself not to flinch underneath him, forcing herself to not loose to him, she almost uncounciously breathed the sole words that echoed in her thoughts. "Those things you just said," her eyes hesitated under his gaze, which seemed to be eating her whole. She couldn't bring herself to talk loud or aggressive, but she at least managed to keep her voice firm and unwavering. "aren't you describing yourself?"

Ari's eyes didn't narrow or widen or show any other trace of emotion other then the frustration he had felt all along. "Ha?"

Sam pushed herself, trying to prove to Ari, and maybe even herself as well, that she wasn't intimidated by him at all. But when Ari didn't so much as move his head back an inch, she all but fell back down again. Watching him through narrowed eyes, Sam felt her mouth begin to raise to a snarl. "This whole time you've been playing with me," she said, her head dropped and her shaky words a quiet, fearful hiss. "You've been holding back, running me around and wearing me out just because you can. Because of you, everything in my life has been falling apart! And you're not doing it at once! You're doing it slowly! You're terrifying me! Exhausting me! Killing me! I'm so tired of it all, you have no idea..!" Her face had melted now, and her hands flew to cover her up, almost to hide herself from the boy. "I didn't realize how much you were messing around, not until I fought with Marcon! He fought me seriously! He forced me to respond and I…!" The girl's hand pressed over her eye in a worn gesture. Her voice suddenly faded, she said, "Before I knew it, he was on the ground, and I was standing over him."

They were both quiet for a moment, neither moving an inch as if there was some sort of unspoken challenge to not back away from the other, even just a little. Breathing deeply, in a wasted attempt to calm herself down and to get her thoughts together, Sam gently said, "It was because of him that I realized how much you were taking advantage of me, all for your own convenience. It was because of Marcon that I realized just how much I'd always secretly wanted for you to finish me off instead of killing me so slowly..! I realized that, because you never took _any_of this seriously, I was fighting a lost cause..! You were always better than me! You were always playing around, always a million steps ahead of me..!"

She was aware that what she was saying probably wasn't making much sense to the boy. Her words were rushed and stuttered and confusing, and Ari probably didn't care enough to listen. But it made sense in her head, and that was all that mattered to her. The girl's eyes flashed up to meet Ari's through her trembling fingers. "_And that pissed me off._"

Ari's eyes narrowed in a questioning manor. "Is that so?"

"That's why I won!" growled Sam, a new but weak sense of aggression building up inside of her. "Because he pushed me to! He pushed me to my limit, got me really mad, and if I didn't want to loose I had no other choice but to beat him! When all you've been doing is pushing me down, letting me get back up on my feet, and then pushing me down again! Over and over and over again! You've been laughing at me! Watching me squirm around in the palms of your hands while I was too weak to do anything about it!"

Ari's mouth cracked a grin at that. And that was the first clue Sam got that reminded her that she wasn't exactly in the position to be pissing him off. His hands suddenly fell onto her face and, scooping her up, he brought her up to meet his eyes. "You're annoying, did you know that?" his voice was dangerously light. "Aw, but Sam, you're right. That just won't do. We wouldn't want Sam to feel like she was getting it easy, now would we? God forgive me for not taking you out the second I met you! I'm sorry for being so _completely_unreasonable." His words were heavily dripping with sarcasm, and Sam, suddenly feeling very small in his iron grasp and suddenly feeling very, very scared, found herself paralyzed and unable to pull away from him. The only thing she could do was stare at his face, and it was like she was hypnotized. "But I'll tell you what. I'll make it up to you. How about I fight you for real this time? How ya' like that?"

"You say you won because you were so pissed?" Ari asked, his smile widening dangerously. "I'm super pissed right now, too." Sam couldn't move or say anything all over again. It was suddenly like Ari was a black hole, and the closer he brought her face to him, the quicker she was being sucked dry. "I wonder if that applies to me as well?"


End file.
